Tale of Yoshirou:Part 2
by Uraharaisgod
Summary: This leaves off where Part 1 was meant to be finished. For new readers, check my profile for Part 1. Continues from the events after Rukia's attempted Execution, with the newly promoted Kido Corps Captain
1. Chapter 1 Hospital

**NEW INTRODUCTORY NOTE**

**Hello to all readers of Part 1 of my story if your reading this! This is the last ten Chapters that were originally in Part 1, reuploaded from the first story so as to make the seperation of story events make a lil more sense. The original chapters are gone from Part 1, so as to make sure there is no confusion. For all old readers, just skip to Chapter 10, or Chapter 11 once it comes out if you already read the first 10. Sorry for any confusion this may cause, the story will go on as usual, this is just to solve my ever increasing headache with my computer.**

**Well, new notes are over, read on! (btw, please favourite, review and subscribe if you can, this part is new, so it's just going to cause confusion if theres nothing on it lol)**

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Yoshirou woke up looking at a rather unfamiliar ceiling, and in a much too hard bed to be his own. **…eh? Where am I exactly?** Looking about, he couldn't guess at all, until he could smell the room. **Sterile? Ah… I'm at the Sougou Kyuugo Tsumesho, they must have dragged me here after I fell unconscious when we were going down the Soukyoku hill stairs. Why on earth did I fall unconscious?**

_Except for the gaping huge wound? You seem to forget that holding that kind of wound closed requires reiatsu; your body hit its limit so it shut down. They had to start emergency treatment on you again since I couldn't hold the wound closed fully, far as I could tell it was touch and go for a while. We were lucky Unohana stayed back to help rather than continue with Byakuya ahead, without her help you could have died there and then on the stairs._

**Wow, talk about all the dramatic stuff happening whenever I'm not aware.** Looking down at his chest, he saw that the bandages had been changed while he was unconscious as well, and judging from the thickness, they had increased in number as well. Also he had been swapped out of his shihakshou, instead wearing the normal robes for patients in the 4th squad. **Never liked these tacky things. **Looking about the room he realised something odd. **Why are there chairs set up over there?**

_Perhaps you had guests while you were asleep? I couldn't tell, the vast majority of my abilities aren't usable while you're unconscious. _

**Oh? Well it's possible.** Yoshirou thought as he carefully started to test his limbs. Finding that they all responded reasonably well, he picked himself up from the bed, looking about the room for his usual robes. It was about this moment that a new person walked in. "Y-Yoshirou-san! Y-You shouldn't be up yet!"-Hanatarou cried out as he walked in, waving his hands franticly. "Oh, morning Hanatarou. Do you know where my stuff is?"-Yoshirou asked the panicking Hanatarou. "I-It doesn't matter Yoshirou-san, please! J-Just lie back down before your wound opens again!"-Hanatarou cried out at him, worry obvious in his voice. Yoshirou just laughed back-"Stop worrying, now I'm awake and reasonably recovered, the wound won't hurt or open again, and even if it does I think I can close my own wounds fine enough."-Yoshirou reassured. It still didn't do anything to stop Hanatarou's flapping attempt, until a different person stepped into the room. **Uh oh, perhaps I don't get to leave after all.**

"Ah, Yoshirou-kun, it is good to see you've recovered well enough to be up and about."-Unohana said as she strolled in. "I would have thought after yesterday you would have learnt about limits of impetuousness, but apparently you haven't. You should still be resting and recovering, alike the far more reasonable Byakuya, who is yet to make any attempts at escape like you are." Yoshirou stopped his attempts to get out immediately, knowing defeat was only inevitable with Unohana here. "However, you have been requested by another Captain to aid him, he came by earlier to find out if you had awoken or not, but I had to send him away due to your condition. However, since you seem so eager to ignore our advice, you might as well make yourself useful and present yourself to him. He is waiting in a different room in the hospice, I shall guide you there once you are properly ready."-Unohana explained. Yoshirou was quite taken aback by the change in situation, one second he was about to be barred, next he was been given an excuse to get up. "So was he the one who was waiting in here?"-Yoshirou asked as he continued to hunt for his clothes, finding them folded beneath his bed, having been cleaned and repaired as he slept. He also discovered much to his chagrin that the sleeves were restored, probably assumed a casualty of battle. He promptly ripped them back off again.

"Oh, I'm surprised you would have noticed you had guests. And no, he did not come in here, so he wasn't the guest. Yoruichi and Soi Fon were the two who stayed here, Yoruichi wanted to be available in case your situation deteriorated in the night, Soi Fon didn't explain why she stayed to me." **Oh, so that's who it was **Yoshirou thought. "Both left earlier when I confirmed you were completely in the safe zone in terms of risk of death from your wounds, you have surprisingly good regeneration abilities, far faster than I've seen in normal Shinigami, I would dare say given two weeks there won't be anything left of that wound even without healing techniques."-Unohana explained as Yoshirou changed in front of her, for some reason completely oblivious that she was in the room with him. "…Yoshirou-kun, you do realise your supposed to wait until people leave the room before you get changed, correct?"-Unohana asked, making him jump and quickly finish covering himself. "S-Sorry, just slipped my mind for a minute."-Yoshirou hastily answered embarrassed that he had done something that stupid. It earned him a light laugh from Unohana. "You always prove that you can't always expect the normal from a person, Ken-Shin-Tai-Chou."-Unohana said, pronouncing each syllable, knowing the name would annoy him. However, the bigger reaction came from Hanatarou behind her. "Y-Y-Yoshirou-kun is a Captain? H-How? I-Is he replacing one of the… other Captains?"-Hanatarou hesitantly asked.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to die in a heartbeat. Both Yoshirou and Unohana didn't want to be reminded about the affair, Unohana was still affected by their betrayal, and how many people had been harmed by their actions. On the other hand Yoshirou, although he didn't fully realise it, was still feeling the sting of a complete and utter defeat by Aizen, one of the people he had always believed in. Hanatarou quickly realised he had brushed upon a painful topic and fell silent. Yoshirou was the first to recover, quickly changing topic-"Well, I'm ready now, who exactly wanted to see me?" Unohana was only too glad to answer him. "Ah, that would be Hitsugaya-kun. Apparently he wanted to see you after something he had overheard Kurosaki talking about. He believes you may be able to help him somehow; I'll take you to the room he is at."-Unohana finished, leading him out of the room.

After a few minutes of walking together, Unohana having to stop every now and then to deal with her own squad members, they finally reached the room in question. Rather than being in the room, Hitsugaya was hanging around outside the room, a distant look on his face, not having noticed their approach. Unohana stopped before they reached him however. Turning to Yoshirou, she quietly said-"You have to be careful of what you say now, the person you are going to see will not be Hitsugaya, but rather his friend inside. Whatever Hitsugaya-kun decides to do, don't question him, he is in a very precarious emotional state at the moment, so would you be if a person you cared for is in such a state. He is also recovering just like you from a massive defeat by Aizen, you probably had it easier, Hitsugaya was toyed with before being defeated in a single deadly bow, I would not bring Aizen up with him." Yoshirou nodded, before Unohana turned once again, saying-"Now, I have some business to attend to, Byakuya will probably require his bandages changed by now so I shall be on my way." Unohana then walked away, leaving Yoshirou to confront Hitsugaya alone.

Walking over to Hitsugaya, he noticed Hitsugaya's eye flick to him before staring off into the distance again. Taking this as a sign that he should wait, Yoshirou stood beside the short captain. He didn't have to wait long though-"Yoshirou, I would like to request your aid again. I overheard from Kurosaki, the Ryoka, that you may have some ability to help others from the inside. He spoke that a Zangetsu had met you inside his inner world, assuming Zangetsu is his zanpakuto, I also would assume that you can contact the inner world of an individual through your own powers. I'm not sure under what circumstances you would have done this with the Ryoka, but at the moment it no longer matters since their names have been cleared." Yoshirou was rather confused as to where Hitsugaya was going with this, and surprised that the short captain had been able to so clearly deduce one of his abilities from so little information. After all, such an ability was rather unbelievable, yet Hitsugaya had not only decided that was what Kurosaki was on about, but had decided the ability was a true one without question.

"As you probably know, Hinamori is in a rather unstable condition, and she is unable to awaken from it. Right now, I can't ask anybody to help me with this but you. Unohana already told me she awaits somebody to call her, but I can't do that quite yet, not until my own heart has recovered. Nor am I asking you to, your heart suffers from the same trauma that mine is. I just want to be sure that she is at least recovering, since she doesn't seem to be responding to normal treatment, perhaps you may be able to learn something with your own ability."-Hitsugaya finished asking. Yoshirou was slightly off put by all the melancholic terms he had used, but got the gist of what he was asking. "So you want me to try and discover if she is faring well or not simply put?"-Yoshirou asked. Hitsugaya seemed to sigh irritably at the way that he had put it, but nodded in agreement anyway. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm going to find any answers that you want, all I can do is inspect the conditions of the inner world and the psyche of the zanpakuto, I'm not going to be able to tell whether Hinamori is recovering or not."-Yoshirou quickly explained, still unsure as to how this was supposed to help. However, it seemed enough for Hitsugaya. "Just see if there is anything there that might help her recover."-Hitsugaya asked. Yoshirou sighed in annoyance, before continuing into the room. However, he stopped upon realising Hitsugaya wasn't following him. "You're not coming in?"-Yoshirou turned and asked. Hitsugaya just slightly shook his head, not looking at Yoshirou or offering an excuse. Remembering Unohana's words, Yoshirou didn't pursue the subject, instead heading over to the set up bed.

To his eyes, it didn't look too good. Hinamori was covered in bandages as far as he could see, and was hooked up to a machine that he had never seen before. **Some new kind of technology? I'll have to ask Unohana about it.** Yoshirou thought as he looked at the young Vice Captain before him. Just like Hitsugaya had said, it seemed she was in some kind of coma. **Well perhaps I can find out why she isn't waking up at the least.** Yoshirou thought as he prepared to start. **I don't think doing this is going to mess with any of the equipment here, but just to be on the safe side I'll only use the minimal amount I can to determine this. **Carefully channelling his reiatsu, with a little refinement from Taiyou, Yoshirou placed a tiny amount of his reiatsu into his finger tip. He then carefully touched the bandages about her body since he was unsure as to where the wound was on her, he had to make sure he didn't accidentally aggravate it.

However, he was met with a surprise; there was some kind of resistance against him. **Resistance? From an unconscious person?** Yoshirou wondered, before he could sense more. **No, it's not resistance, its more like the path is too scrambled for my reiatsu to get through clearly, what on earth could that mean?** He carefully reconstructed his reiatsu, trying to more clearly follow whatever path her reiatsu was taking. Eventually he was met with success, as he felt his mind blur slightly.** Okay, so now we find out what's up. **

However, he was met with a surprising scene; it was if her inner world was alike to a tiny island, being torn apart by a tornado, being torn apart by a voracious force and scattering into nothingness, rock by rock. **What the hell! This is definitely not normal!** Yoshirou thought as he looked about, feeling the gale force pulling him around. He eventually saw what he wanted, but was surprised at the sight. The form of the zanpakuto spirit reminded him of what it was like meeting Taiyou for the first time, it seemed like a dark cloud of colours, but he could sense the raw emotions spilling out from it, trying to consume his thoughts. Quickly clearing his mind, he called out "Hey, what's happening in here?" towards the cloud. He could more feel the apparition turn to him, and he could feel its panic and fear. He also sensed some kind of concern directed towards him as well. As he noticed this, he suddenly felt himself forcibly expelled from the inner world, as if the zanpakuto had thrown him out. However, at the last second a female voice had said.-_This world is falling apart, deteriorating, you need to save my Aruji! Find a way to stabilise the soul before she is lost!_

Returning to his own consciousness, he realised he was on the floor, with someone beside him. "Why did you suddenly cry out? What happened? Answer me!"-Hitsugaya was demanding to know. Yoshirou turned to see him, before realising his vision was blurred. **Tears?** He thought as he wiped his eyes. **What did the Zanpakuto mean? The world is deteriorating? That's what happens in hollowification isn't it (1)?** Yoshirou realised as he quickly leapt to his feet, surprising the small captain. He quickly formulated a plan to do what the zanpakuto had asked of him. "Hitsugaya, is there any supply rooms nearby, quickly!"-he barked out. Hitsugaya seemed taken aback by being ordered, but hearing the urgency in Yoshirou's voice, quickly dispelled his need to go back at him. "Yes, there's one three rooms down I believe."-Hitsugaya quickly responded. Yoshirou quickly dashed out, searching left and right for the room he needed. Seeing it, he immediately shunpo'd to in front of it, running in and looking about all of the equipment for what he needed. **Shit, they mightn't have any in a supply station!** Yoshirou realised as he searched the shelves, Hitsugaya running into the room behind him. Wasting no time, Hitsugaya also went to the lower shelves, asking-"What are we looking for?" "Kaikyō Kotei." (2) Yoshirou quickly said as he continued searching. Hitsugaya froze for a second in surprise, before he continued to search, unsure as to what Yoshirou intended with such a tool.

It was Hitsugaya who found them first, hidden behind some Gikongan supplies, his hunch that the items would be stored alongside real world equipment proven correct. "Here!"-Hitsugaya said, pulling a rather strange set of equipment out, before handing them to Yoshirou, who had procured a knife from a different shelf. Taking the prong ends of the device, he cut the prongs until a bare half centimeter remained on the end of each piece. While he was doing this, Hitsugaya asked "What exactly do you intend with those? I can't understand what would require the Kaikyō Kotei to be used." Yoshirou quickly muttered out some words-"Need em… to fix… soul disturbance… dunno if… it'll work…but all I can… think of right now, there finished!" Yoshirou announced as he threw the knife into a nearby shelf, leaving it quivering stuck up to its hilt into the shelf. He quickly shunpo'd back to the hospital room.

"Hold open her robes!"-Yoshirou said to the quickly appearing Hitsugaya as he fixed the bracelets to his arms. "Wh-What!"-Hitsugaya stuttered out, surprised by the request. "STOP HESITATING! She's got bandages all over her torso; you can't see a damn thing!"-Yoshirou ordered as he quickly hefted each of the spikes in his hands. Hitsugaya shut up, doing as he was ordered and pulling apart Hinamori's robes. Yoshirou quickly hooked each prong into the area about her Saketsu, arranging them into a diamond about his guessed location. After finishing arranging them, he once again pulled on his own reiatsu, pushing it into the bracelets and down the attached ropes. When they met the spikes about her body, he once again felt the same resistance as earlier; however, as he continued to put out his own reiatsu, he felt the confused reiatsu align to his own flow, calming down from what it had been. As he continued to supply the reiatsu, he more felt than saw her body relax, it wasn't so much a physical relaxation as a mental one, but he could sense it none the less. "Right, I think that might have done it."-Yoshirou said, now calmed down that he had met with success.

"Now will you explain why you were trying to order me around, Yoshirou?"-Hitsugaya asked irritably. "Simple, in medical situations, even the Sou Taichou's wishes become second to the attending healer, and since that would be me, you had to respect my orders Hitsugaya, nothing personal. Now as to what I was so hurriedly trying to do, her soul was destabilizing at a rapid pace, your god damn lucky that you called me, another few hours without being discovered and she could have reverted into a hollow."-Yoshirou explained. The last revelation had Hitsugaya having to hold onto the bed for support. "…revert…into a hollow?"-Hitsugaya asked, shocked as to the implications of what he had just said. "Yeah, but I don't get why Unohana never noticed it, even the simplest of medical techniques should have told her something was wrong, her reiatsu pathways were completely out of sync."-Yoshirou said, half to himself than to Hitsugaya. However, he suddenly realized what it could have been. Using his senses, he attuned his sensing ability to Hinamori's own reiatsu, searching for any anomalies. He found it nearly immediately, near her stomach there was a huge amount of a familiar reiatsu, which was what led to the destabilization effect.

I **don't believe it… that's Aizen's reiatsu… If this is Aizen's reiatsu, then that's why it was hidden from Unohana, but not me. I'm partially resistant to the effects of his zanpakuto. The bigger question is why on earth would he have done that?** Yoshirou thought as he tried to ignore the questioning stares from Hitsugaya. **Let me think, he attacked her in the Central 46, leaving her half dead…had it not been for what medical treatment had been done, she would have converted about half an hour after the injury I'd say, it was only whatever life support machines are here that have allowed her to hold on for so long. What's the connection… no… he couldn't have planned that… **Yoshirou continued to ponder. To hold off Hitsugaya's stares, he said-"I just have to concentrate on maintaining a steady reiatsu flow for a minute, give me some time**." …there's no other idea that I can think of…that bastard…he was going to use her as a final weapon, for in case he had never been discovered. She would have converted into a hollow, wreaking havoc about the Central 46. He would have left far before then, hopefully having obtained that Hougyoku Kurosaki talked to me about from the successful execution of Rukia. When anybody went to check the Central 46, they would have found dead bodies everywhere, and one out of control Hollow. He would never have been discovered, that bastard! **Yoshirou concluded internally, forcing his face to stay in a complacent look so as not to alert Hitsugaya to his discovery**. I can't tell this to him; god knows what effect it might have on him…**

Yoshirou kept silent, instead carefully vamping up his reiatsu, controlling it so as Hitsugaya could not detect it. He then pushed it down the ropes once again, this time forcing it throughout her body until it reached the wound, wherein there was a kind of internal struggle, his own reiatsu clashing against the reiatsu left by Aizen. However, as strong as Aizen was, this was merely the reiatsu in a wound, and Yoshirou soon enough overpowered the reiatsu, erasing it with his own. Slightly tired from the forced expenditure, Taiyou helped him carefully retracted the huge amount of reiatsu he had placed in her body, redirecting it back to his own so as to not damage her body. Sighing, Yoshirou unclipped the bracelets from his wrists, rubbing them to get the blood flowing properly again. He then turned to Hitsugaya, who was now starting to look rather irritable at not being told exactly what he had been up to. "Okay, I think I've stabilized her soul now, I'm just going to do a check on her inner world, I might be able to learn more about what caused it there-." "It was Aizen, wasn't it?"-Hitsugaya asked coldly, questioning Yoshirou. Yoshirou hesitated for a second, telling Hitsugaya all he needed to know. The young Captain turned about, preparing to leave the room, before turning to Yoshirou again, an attempt at a smile on his face, although his taut features showed that he was still thinking on his anger towards Aizen. "Thank you once more, I am glad that I chose to support you, everything you have done has shown me that you are more than worthy to be a Captain alongside us, perhaps more worthy than many of us are…" Turning back, he walked out of the room, his rigid movements betraying the anger inside his mind.

**Crap…** Yoshirou thought as he realized he had just added more fuel to the fire of the young man's anger. **Well, I did all I could** Yoshirou thought as he turned back to the girl, carefully unhooking the spikes from her bandages. **But her soul was nigh on completely gone, recovery is going to be very long, and I don't know if she will be the same person by the end.** Yoshirou thought as he prepared once again to try and enter her inner world. This time he felt no resistance as his soul form walked into her own world. The place still looked a mess, barely a small island within the all enclosing darkness around it. However, as he strayed to the edge, he could see that very slowly, the edge was building upon itself, trying to recover. _Welcome, friend_ the same voice from earlier called out. Yoshirou spun about, trying to find the source, but unsuccessful. "Err, hello. I'm guessing your Hinamori's zanpakuto then?"-Yoshirou called out, trying to pinpoint the voice's location_. __Yes, my name is Tobiume_the voice called once more. Yoshirou then finally honed in on its location, and was very surprised. In the middle of the island, there was a tiny seedling. **Wait, Tobiume is flying plum tree, so the zanpakuto spirit is literally a tree? Never seen a spirit that takes a plant form before.**

_I'm not sure why you have come here, but I am grateful that you succeeded in stopping the deterioration. I could not find the origin of the effect so I was powerless to stop the destabilising of the soul._

"Well that's to be expected, it was Aizen again, his ability lies in using complete illusions to fool every sense of an individual. I'm partially immune to its effects, I'm guessing since he wasn't directly here, the illusion had no effect towards me."

_Aizen? I don't understand how such a man did all of this, I never assumed that he perhaps had another intention towards my Aruji, I should never have been blinded by Hinamori's emotions, I failed to protect her._

"Don't take it so hard, nobody expected him to go traitor, everybody failed to protect anyone that day. I was very nearly killed by him, his power is beyond unbelievable, I never once detected his full power which confuses me as well. Perhaps if I had been less distracted during those days, I may have found out the truth far sooner…"

_What do you mean?_

"I already said I'm partially immune to his illusions, if I had just gone to pay respects to his body, I would have seen through the illusion immediately, and perhaps stopped all of this."

_I think not, to be fully honest with you friend. I could sense your power when you tried to save my Aruji, twice. When she was unconscious before her friend Hitsugaya and his enemy, I could feel a new reiatsu appear, unimaginably powerful, yet peaceful and calm as well. This reiatsu quelled both of the enemies before it, Captains of immense power themselves. And just now, I felt the same signature from you as you tried to stop whatever caused this effect. However, as powerful as you may be, you still lack behind the monstrous power I felt when Hinamori was stabbed by Aizen, you could have done nothing against that power, do not feel so bad about what happened._

"Maybe, maybe not…Still, is Hinamori going to recover all right now?"

_It will be a long process, but as you can see before you, the seed is planted; when it grows it will become the tree from whatever seed was planted. She will recover as the same person as before, as long as I hold my own identity, hers will become it's original as well. Also, I will grow stronger as she recovers, my true form is not a tiny sapling. However, her heart is still unstable, she needs somebody to take over for the huge gap that Aizen has opened, she needs Toshiro to support her or it will simply fill with feelings that she neither needs nor wants._

"I don't know whether that's going to be so easy or not, he also is in a bad shape and I think he might not be able to support her…"

_He must, there is no one else Hinamori can trust, not her allies from her squad, not her friend Kira, not you who saved her soul, not anyone but him. I'm sorry to say it as such, but you cannot help her in this._

"Yeah I get it, well I better be going anyway, I need to tell Unohana about all of this. I hope you recover soon, as much as you say she needs Hitsugaya, he may need her more."

_I understand, farewell friend._

(Back to Yoshirou)

Yoshirou returned to his own body, feeling the slight pang of pain from his wounds before his own reiatsu once again stabilised the pain. Beside him, he could see that Unohana was watching quietly. "I'm assuming that Hitsugaya told you about how she was un-reactive to treatment then?"-Unohana asked. "Did you perhaps discover the source?" Yoshirou stretched as he said "Yep, one helluva nasty goodbye present from Aizen. You couldn't tell because his illusion seems to stretch over where he left his reiatsu. Don't worry, I purged the reiatsu from her system, she should start responding better to whatever you try now." Unohana nodded, as if she half expected this. "I thought it may be something to do with him, since the treatment worked fine at first, it wasn't until later it started becoming less effective until just an hour ago where all treatment ceased to work." Indicating the machine beside Hinamori, she continued-"This is designed to do exactly what you succeeded in doing, purging foreign reiatsu from the body while sustaining the life systems of the body. However, either Aizen's reiatsu proved too strong for it, or the illusion meant that the machine could not pick it up. If it was the latter, then I am very worried, it means he can fool technology with his illusions as well."

Yoshirou shook his head, before replying. "I think it was the former, there was a lot of reiatsu massed in the wound, unless that machine can top captain class reiatsu, it had no hope of removing it, the action slightly tired me and it is simply leftover reiatsu from the wound." Unohana seemed to think for a second, before asking "Is there any chance he tried the same trick with your body?" "None, Taiyou can repel any foreign invasion of reiatsu, no matter how powerful it is from my own body. Aizen seems to know a lot about my abilities, he was even able to predict my techniques, and found a way to short out the blade edge, I think he was fully aware such a trick would not have worked, or he would never have tried to finish me off."-Yoshirou trailed off, still unsure as to how Aizen could have learnt about his abilities. After all he had never written them down, nor told anybody else of the full list of his abilities, he didn't even know there was a way to dispel the Hi Kiwa like Aizen did. "Anyway, it seems she will make a full recovery health wise, but her mental state might become bad, her zanpakuto told me that she will need support from Hitsugaya, perhaps you might have some luck persuading him to see her."-Yoshirou explained. Unohana seemed slightly surprised about what he had said, but didn't question the validity of what he had told her. She also decided that questioning him about the device in his hands was also pointless. Instead, she simply nodded before saying "Byakuya is awake now if you want to see him."

(5 minutes later)

Yoshirou was still caught up in his thoughts when he walked into the room Byakuya was in. However, he quickly realised he had interrupted something when he literally felt an angry reiatsu in the room opposite Byakuya. Turning about, he saw that Renji was sitting there with a block of wood in his hands, looking at him in a particularly bad mood. However, before Renji could voice whatever objection he had in Yoshirou's presence, another even louder interruption bellowed in from the window, making Yoshirou nearly jump out of his skin. "RENJI!"-Kurosaki bellowed in from the window, practically making Byakuya's hair sway with the volume of his shout. In a flash, Renji was at the window exerting his anger upon the newer of the two interruptions. "SHUT UP! What do you want, you jerk! I was just about to say something cool here!"-Renji shouted in Kurosaki's face, nearly making Kurosaki lose his grip on the windowsill. "Erm…sorry?"-Kurosaki replied. Renji backed off a little to give Byakuya some room, as Kurosaki asked-"Do you guys know where Rukia is?" "What? What's wrong with Rukia?"-Renji asked concerned. "N-Nothing, its okay if you don't know."-Kurosaki quickly assured him. He turned to ask something of Yoshirou, but was suddenly interrupted by a new presence at his arm.

"Any luck, Kurosaki-kun?"-Inoue asked, receiving a surprised look from Kurosaki. "Is Kuchiki-san here?"-Inoue repeated, Kurosaki just looking dumbfounded at her. "…how exactly did you get up here…? Oh well."-Kurosaki said, before turning to Yoshirou. "I doubt you would know, but doesn't hurt to ask, do you know where Rukia is either?"-Kurosaki asked. "Well, I don't but I can search for her if you want."-Yoshirou replied. "Yeah, another person looking might be handy."-Kurosaki said, looking confused at Yoshirou as he laughed at him. Concentrating, Yoshirou tried to pick out her reiatsu. "…that's odd, she's outside of the Seireitei…not too sure where, but roughly South East I'd say."-Yoshirou said, pointing in the relevant direction. Kurosaki seemed surprised that he had succeeded so fast, before thinking for a second. He seemed to realise what Yoshirou was talking about, before saying "Sorry Renji, Byakuya, I'll be off now, thanks for the help Yoshirou!" Inoue also replied "Excuse us Renji-kun, Byakuya-san, Yoshirou-kun!" **-kun? Since when was she that friendly with me? **Yoshirou wondered as the duo disappeared from the windowsill.** Must be because I still look pretty young, she's talking to me like a normal human**. Renji leaned out the window, following their progress. Byakuya however looked a bit pensive. "What's wrong Taichou?"-Renji asked. "Surely that man doesn't intend to keep calling me by my first name?"-Byakuya mused.

"What's wrong with it, Byakuya?"-Yoshirou asked, receiving another glare from Renji. "He mean's you too, he's a Captain, call him by his title!"-Renji growled at him. However, Byakuya looked at him, interrupting his oncoming tirade. "Yoshirou is a captain as well, he is not required to call me by title, it should be you who is more polite to him."-Byakuya stated calmly, catching Renji off guard. However, he recovered quickly, surprising Yoshirou by bowing to him, although the action was not without some annoyance. "So it seems you were telling the truth, Kenshin-Taichou."-Renji said, further annoying Yoshirou, although from the way he spoke, Yoshirou realised it wasn't intentional like Unohana had been earlier. "Just call me Yoshirou; I'm really going to get a headache if people keep calling me Kenshin-Taichou. Just hold off on your need to go on about perverted conquests and we can be equal."-Yoshirou said, watching Byakuya for a reaction. Sure enough, Byakuya looked at his Vice Captain with a trace amount of interest as to what Yoshirou had meant. **That's what you get for taking the piss out of me about Yoruichi.** Yoshirou thought as Renji's face turned the same colour as his hair. However, Yoshirou did not expect the sly grin that suddenly formed on Renji's face as he replied-"I'm sorry, I thought your success with Yoruichi was something to be commended, my apologies Yoshirou."

**Uh oh** Yoshirou thought as Byakuya slowly turned his head in his direction. "Perhaps you would like to elaborate, Yoshirou?"-Byakuya calmly asked, although from years of experience, Yoshirou could tell that Byakuya was already planning a million way's to use this newly gained information against him."Suffice to say she's still as free spirited as before, it wasn't exactly an intentioned experience."-Yoshirou explained. Byakuya seemed to accept his explanation, although something in his gaze still promised a lot of trouble when he was out of the hospital bed. Yoshirou shot a vengeful glance at Renji, whose face was now showing that he was enjoying himself once again. Yoshirou was tempted to throw his smug face out of the window, but decided against it in the end. "So, you told her everything then?"-Yoshirou asked. "Yes, she knows everything about her sister now, she seemed curious to know about your connection with me, apparently you said you regard her as a sister as well?"-Byakuya asked. Yoshirou just laughed lightly "Well, as much as a git you have been, your about the only thing I've had akin to a brother, so any sister of yours I'll take care of the same."-Yoshirou explained. Renji was still half shocked by what Yoshirou was saying; especially in the completely free tone he spoke to Byakuya, and the fact that Byakuya said nothing wrong with it.

"Well, I have one request for you, Yoshirou. She has expressed an interest in furthering her Kido abilities, and you are by now known as the foremost expert in Soul Society. She may approach you asking for lessons; I must ask that you refuse her requests."-Byakuya asked, confusing Yoshirou. "Err…refuse? You doubt I could teach her or something."-Yoshirou asked. "No, I already know you have successfully taught Kido abilities to those in your squad, and even to a fellow Captain. Your ability to teach these skills is not what is in question; it is just that I do not wish her to learn them. As it is now, she is an unranked within her squad, but she already has skills that would put her at 3rd seat level."-Byakuya explained, comprehension dawning on Yoshirou. "You don't want her to become strong enough to become a Vice Captain then? You're trying to keep her off the frontlines?"-Yoshirou asked. Byakuya nodded slightly, looking out the window. "Well, I can see what you mean, all right then. But are you sure?" Byakuya once again nodded slightly. However, he suddenly drew his head back when a hell butterfly flew in, surprised to see one flying about. Renji put his hand out for the butterfly, but it seemed to ignore him totally, instead settling on Yoshirou's shoulder. "Seem's I'm being called by Yamamoto-san again."-Yoshirou complained as the butterfly left. "Well, might as well go see what he wants. You better hurry up with healing mind; I don't fancy having to walk into a hospital every time I want to talk with ya."-Yoshirou said as he walked out, curious as to why he would be summoned this time. **Perhaps I may finally get my answers…**

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**Well chapter done, as always please review or suscribe if you want to.**

**(1). I know you guys know what this is, what this note is saying is that Yoshirou discovered the research notes on the effects of Hollowification made by Tessai alongside the various documents hidden inside his personal research cache, although the research never indicated the identity nor survival of the test subjects.**

**(2). Kaikyō Kotei-Realm Boundary Fixation-Used in the manga as an extensive way to stop the turbulent flow of the Koryu within the Dangai Precipice world, the boundary between Soul Society and the Human realm. Normally such a method is completely irrelevant to stopping the soul from disintegrating, there should be no way to actually intervene, or Urahara would have stopped Ichigo from turning into a hollow, rather than saying we kill him if we fail. However, Yoshirou is an exception to the rule, he could make it work, the reasons why will be explained later (This is another of the reasons why Aizen wanted to kill him BEFORE he learnt his past.)**


	2. Chapter 2 The Truth

**Well, nobody answered the question I posted three times in a row, so I ended up just typing the past bit anyhow, as a halfway point I didn't explain it fully, only in the majority. Anyway read on!**

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"You wanted to see me, Yamamoto-san?"-Yoshirou asked as he stepped into Yamamoto's study. Yamamoto seemed slightly surprised to see him so fast, his eyes having been watching the view from his open balcony. For the first time, Yoshirou had made it to his office without getting lost. Yamamoto quickly moved behind his desk before beginning. "Yes, I have much to talk about today with you."-Yamamoto stated, as Yoshirou approached his desk. "We will have to wait for Chojiro-fukutaichou for a minute, he was supposed to guide you here once again. For now, I would like to congratulate you." "On what?"-Yoshirou asked. "On gaining the approval of every Captain within the current Gotei 13" **Huh?** Yoshirou thought, rather confused. Seeing his expression, Yamamoto continued-"All the Captains who previously placed themselves against the decision to promote you have changed their standing. Kenpachi has heard of your prowess in combat with his own squad members, and after the news that other members of your squad succeeded in defeating two other Captains, has re-decided his views on the worth of your squad. He now supports your promotion. The same can be said for Komamura, he saw the injuries you gained in trying to protect everyone atop the Soukyoku hills, and decided that you have proven your determination to protect your allies. He has also decided to support you. However…" Yamamoto trailed off. Yoshirou was confused for a second, before Yamamoto continued-"…Mayuri Kurotsuchi has also decided to support you, but he has no explanation as to his decision. That is relatively suspicious, I have a notion that he may have obtained the information in the Central 46 pertaining to you, and has re-decided based on that. That is very worrying, there is nothing I can currently do about it, but warn you to avoid any machinations of his." **Oh great, the mad clown is after me, yippee…**

**Wait, information in Central 46?** Yoshirou suddenly realised as he heard a noise behind him. **What could that be.** "Yamamoto-sou-taichou."-a strongly British accent said behind Yoshirou, turning, he saw that Chojiro had arrived. "Chojiro-fukutaichou, I require you to get the earlier stated equipment here." Nodding curtly, Chojiro turned and walked straight out, strangely enough with no nasty look in Yoshirou's direction. "Now, since you have the official support of the Gotei 13, you will be receiving your official title."-Yamamoto declared, catching Yoshirou's attention. "I have already taken the liberty of choosing the Haori design for you, taking into account your fighting style, and recent attire…"-Yamamoto said, looking meaningfully at his _*personally customised*_ shihakshou. "I believe this should be fitting for you." Behind them, Chojiro walked in, carrying two objects. Yoshirou's heart skipped a beat as he saw them, a folded Haori and an armband with the Kido Corps sigil upon it. Kneeling, Chojiro offered the clothing to Yoshirou, no trace of his usual annoyance of his presence in his features. Yoshirou quickly took the Haori and studied it. Very surprisingly, it was perfect for what he wanted, just like Yamamoto said, it had been changed according to his new attire, the sleeves had been removed, the sigil of the Kido Corps emblazoned on the back in black. Yoshirou glanced twice at the sigil, realizing it had been modified slightly, the symbol lying now within a black rhombus, alike to the normal sigils of the Gotei 13. The underside of the Haori was a pure snow white, just like he had hoped. Folding the Haori, he also picked up the insignia, placing it atop the folded Haori as he turned to Yamamoto.

However, he was slightly surprised by the expression on Yamamoto's face. "As the Captain, the idea is to wear your Haori rather than carry it."-Yamamoto bluntly stated. Surprised, Yoshirou quickly unfurled the Haori once more, putting his arms through the holes for the sleeves. He was surprised to find the Haori was a perfect fit, as if it was fitted for him. Normally, most Haori's were passed down between the Captains, so a Haori that fit perfectly was pretty rare**. Oh wait…**Yoshirou realised**…this one was made for me, I'm the first Kido Captain of the Gotei 13, normally your supposed to wear the Grand Kido Chief's uniform, but I get a Haori instead. **Inspecting himself, he quickly decided that he much preferred the Haori over the original uniform. **A lot more freedom for physical fighting styles, man Yamamoto sure knows what would be perfect for a person, very surprising. **Yamamoto seemed to pick up on the signal that it was perfect for him. With a quick nod at his Vice Captain, Chojiro understood the signal, rose to his feet and bowed, before quickly leaving the room.

"Now, you are the official Kido Corps Captain. Normally there would be an official declaration of this, but I have left it to the individual Captains to alert their squads to the changes that have been implemented. The armband is for your chosen Vice Captain, Kira Hazuki. With this, your squad is now complete, you just need to rearrange the seats below 3rd seat as you require."-Yamamoto stated as Yoshirou tested how far his arms could move freely in the Haori. Much to his satisfaction, he discovered the Haori made no restrictions to his movements. "Openly, there is actually no need to promote you since the original person who suggested the move to disband your squad was in fact Aizen and his subordinates…" **I should have known **Yoshirou thought bitterly, anger once again rising against Aizen in his heart. "…however, in light of the current situation, stability is needed in Soul Society, to know that another Captain has risen to command will assuage many souls that are in fear. As such, I have decided upon promoting you now, rather than waiting any further. However, also in current light of the situation, it may be that you are required more on the frontlines than before, especially if Aizen makes a move. Asides Kurosaki Ichigo the Ryoka, you are the only other person who stands any chance against Aizen, although you have seen his shikai, you are also partially immune to its effects. It is imperitive that you succeed in learning your Bankai, it may indeed be the deciding factor of this upcoming battle." "How though?"-Yoshirou asked. "Even if I gain Bankai, Aizen has a Bankai as well."

Yamamoto turned to Yoshirou, looking him in the eye. The steely gaze rocked Yoshirou, even though it was not the same kind that he had seen when he faced Yamamoto across the battlefield, it still showed the power of his will. "Because you are the master of the Light Zanpakuto, there is no telling how much power you may gain when you learn your Bankai." Yoshirou contemplated his words for a second, before slowly saying-"I think I want to know about my past now, you keep on talking about me as some big force for Soul Society, and Aizen seemed afraid of what I might be capable of. Personally, I can't see what could be so special about me." Yamamoto sighed before preparing to begin. "Everything that I tell you now is top secret, beyond the knowledge of any individual currently residing within Soul Society but me. This is the kind of secret that could tear the knowledge of understanding within Soul Society, a very dangerous kind. It may also destroy your understanding of your life. It may be better that you remain ignorant, but as you are who you are, not even I may deny you the knowledge you seek, all I can do is warn you to be prepared for what you are about to learn."

Yoshirou could tell that this was the kind of knowledge that may define his life from now on, but he was sick of being ignorant to what it meant. He wanted to know what was so important that Aizen would be willing to take his life for. "Okay, I'm ready to hear it, Yamamoto-sou-taichou."-Yoshirou said, determination in his own voice and gaze now. Yamamoto watched his expression for a few seconds, before nodding almost imperceptibly. "To truly understand this, we shall have to begin at the beginning."-Yamamoto said. "What, when I died in the real world?"-Yoshirou asked, curious as to if it began back then. However, Yamamoto gave him a strange look. "You're a born shinigami, what makes you think you died in the real world?"-Yamamoto asked. Yoshirou was surprised by the words. "B-But I awoke in Rukongai, like all souls who died in the real world!" "No, you mean your memories only stretch as far back as being in Rukongai, you can't remember anything before that. Therefore you assumed you were a human who died, correct?" Yoshirou was only now understanding what Yamamoto meant by the truth being able to tear his very reality. One of the building blocks of his past had just been demolished in one swift blow. "And by the beginning, I mean much farther back than your life, or even mine."-Yamamoto continued.

"A long time ago, before even I was born, before Soul Society was established, the shinigami were ruled over by a main family. Now I can't explain this to you fully, such secrets are beyond my post to explain. As much as I may be the Sou Taichou of the Gotei 13, there are still rules and laws that I shall not break regarding this subject. However, I still have the right to say what pertains to you as granted by your family." "My family? But I thought you just said I wasn't born in Rukongai?"

"Correct, you were not born in Rukongai, nor even within Soul Society, but in another dimension still. I am not at liberty to tell you the name of the realm, but for now, you may call it Heaven. You are part of a family that has extended back for generations, to the beginnings of Heaven, the realm before Soul Society itself. As I was saying, long ago there was one main family that ruled over the Shinigami. However, as more problems occurred from Hollow assaults and other problems from those times, it was decided that the family should split into three, the Royal Family, the house of Hikari, who would go on to be called the Royal Guard, and the house of Yami, who would become the Zero Squad (1). Against what is commonly known, these are two distinctively different organizations, since the Yami house often hide in the shadows, they do not actively pursue recognition. It was about this time the zanpakuto's first came into being as well, the weapons of the soul. I shan't pursue more into this history, but the Shinigami found a way to split the soul in two, giving the second half a personality representative of the first half that would become the source of power for the individual. The shinigami was born of the Saketsu, while the zanpakuto was born of the Hakusei"-Yamamoto explained, pointing out these area's on his own chest. "Thus was born the relationship between Shinigami and the Zanpakuto. However, the head of the two houses were each gifted a unique zanpakuto by the Royal Family, the light zanpakuto went to the head of the Hikari family, the darkness zanpakuto to the head of the Yami family. These were unique, tied to the bloodline of the head family and passed down throughout the generations. For a long time this system was fine, the Hikari were the guards that fought off the foes that threatened the Royal Family, and the Yami were the guards that protected the Royal Family from the shadows."-Yamamoto explained.

"So I'm guessing one family grew discontent of being ignored and usurped the other family?"-Yoshirou asked. However, he only received a strange sigh from Yamamoto. **Wrong guess then.** "No, even to this day the Royal Family, Yami and Hikari houses still exist in equilibrium, never has one regarded destroying the other as a goal, since without one, the other's would fall apart. However, over the years as more and more humans were born, died and returned to Heaven, the shinigami grew more numerous. The families started to split apart again. The main bloodlines were still held intact, but new families sprouted from them. It was about this time that Soul Society itself was created as the haven for all Shinigami-." "Wait…"-Yoshirou interrupted, astounded by what Yamamoto had told him. "Soul Society was…created?" "Something cannot come of nothing, with the power of the three households; they created a haven for all Shinigami to exist within, retreating from that realm so as to rule over Soul Society from the original dimension, Heaven. Now, the families that were spread apart from the main bloodline asserted themselves in the new Soul Society as the noble houses, the houses from the Hikari house are still prominent to these days. This was thousands of years ago, before any shinigami that lives today was born. The Royal Family started the Gotei 13 to maintain order and stability within the new dimension, the Sou Taichou being chosen by them, who then chose the other Captains under them. As such, it is easy to say the Gotei 13 have existed since the beginnings of Soul Society. Over the thousands of years, this knowledge passed out of general circulation, the only people who were fully aware were those within Heaven and the Sou Taichou of the Gotei 13, their only contact within the Soul Society."

Yoshirou was shocked by this revelation; it completely defied the explanations he had always been taught about the structure of Soul Society. Yamamoto continued regardless- "Out of the current main families, they all branch from Hikari or Yami. The Kuchiki house, those that inherited the genius tactical minds of the Hikari, The Shihoin house, who gained the craftsmen skills of the Hikari, and the Shiba house, who inherited the guts and will to never surrender attitude from the Hikari. The other main households were also inherited from the Yami house, the Fon house gained the attitude of hiding in the shadows ability from the Yami, the Omaeda family are from the Yami, gaining their great merchants skills. There are more that pertain from the Yami, but they tend to keep a low profile. Basically, most of the major houses of Soul Society branch from either Yami or Hikari. Now, the main families retreated to Heaven in order to continue the ruling of Soul Society from a distance. However, 600 years ago a major catastrophe happened…"

Yamamoto seemed to become weary at that point, perhaps not liking what he was having to remember. Instead he decided to sit down at his desk, indicating that Yoshirou should take one of the seats from about the room. After both were sat down, Yoshirou having to adjust his new Haori about himself since he had never sat in one before, Yamamoto continued.-"The Light and Darkness Zanpakuto have always been inherited by the main bloodline; it requires all of the original bloodline abilities to be used properly. As the previous wielder dies, so a new person from the direct descendants is chosen to be the new wielder automatically. In the event that there is no compatible descendant, the zanpakuto doesn't appear until the newest generation is born. However, something went wrong. A descendant in one of Soul Societies own families inherited the light zanpakuto, a man whose name I shan't repeat. I was already the established Sou Taichou of Soul Society at the time, and I was contacted by the Hikari house and made aware of the situation. I tried to care for the man, he had inherited the greatest of powers ever seen, but could not use its power because his bloodline was not compatible. However, he was determined to become more powerful. He tried to force the will of the light zanpakuto to his own, trying to gain dominance. The zanpakuto resisted his attempts, but the fight between them started to damage their souls. As time went on, he became more aggressive, more egotistical and more affected by his emotions in general."

"It was decided by the Hikari family that they would take the man into Heaven, the original dimension that I spoke of earlier, and try to find a way to release him from his burden. However, no sooner than this was decided, then the catastrophe started. The only way to put it is this way; he irreparably broke the Light Zanpakuto. The resultant combination of destroyed man and broken zanpakuto laid waste to Soul Society, killing hundreds in its path with its raw power. In the end I was forced to step in…"-Yamamoto said wearily. "How come I've never heard of this?"-Yoshirou asked quietly. Yamamoto simply looked down slightly. "You never heard of it because the Kuchiki household helped erase all information regarding the incident. The only known information pertaining to this is within the memories of those Captains who lived back then, the Hikari and Yami households, and the records hidden within the Central 46, which Aizen must have discovered. This is why I am telling you this now, if Aizen is aware of your descendant line, then so you must know as well."

Yamamoto sighed before looking up again. "The battle was fierce, the Light Zanpakuto's full abilities are in a realm beyond comprehension, even Ryuujin Jakka pales in comparison to the full power of Tengoku no Shibou. Had it not been for my own power, then I would have stood no chance, even with victory, I was terribly wounded. You have seen my body, over a third of my scars were from that battle, I have never faced a more desperate situation before or after that battle, and I have lived for over 2000 years. After the battle, I returned the broken form of Tengoku no Shibou to the Hikari house, but they destroyed the zanpakuto, it was too badly damaged to ever be of use again to their house. It was believed that would end it all."

"However, the Central 46 were not satisfied, they demanded to know about the alternate dimension. Upon learning of the truth of the Light Zanpakuto and Darkness Zanpakuto, they believed that after seeing the pure power of the light zanpakuto that such weapons should not be. They demanded that the current descendant of the Yami house also submit their zanpakuto for destruction. However, through my own intervention, the wielder was spared, instead having his zanpakuto abilities sealed entirely and the shinigami brought into Soul Society under my protection. He quickly grew in strength, becoming a strong asset for Soul Society, and even managing to lift most of the seals upon his power, although he is still barely able to access his Bankai, due to the sealing effects. The current direct descendant of the Yami house, living within Soul Society, is Kyoraku Shunsui, or Shunsui Yami as he should be named." "Hold on! Kyoraku has been a part of the Gotei 13 for nearly 1000 years, how can you say that he came to Soul Society 600 years ago!"-Yoshirou exclaimed. Yamamoto seemed to get annoyed by his outburst, so he quickly calmed down. Once Yamamoto was assured that he was keeping quiet, he explained.

"Kyoraku was a free spirited man, and he had already joined the Gotei 13 hundreds of years before he was officially expelled from Heaven. He was given free reign by the Yami house despite being the current Darkness zanpakuto wielder since they had slackened their policies due to the peace brought about by the Gotei 13. You must admit you have never met a man quite like Kyoraku among the Shinigami, he is free spirited, yet so intellectually sharp it belies him. He hides his genius in the darkness to take advantage of his foes, and he also wields a very unique zanpakuto, the only one whose true intentions can be seen in its combat style. Just as your zanpakuto's abilities make for a uniquely powerful combat style, so does his, albeit the seals on his zanpakuto still restrict his abilities. He has hidden this secret from even his best friend Ukitake. He is however, unaware of your lineage as the Hikari descendant."

"Now, coming back to the crux of all this, you, Yoshirou Kenshin, no-Yoshirou Hikari. It was believed the light zanpakuto was completely destroyed; however its presence was detected within you at birth. Although it was attempted to be concealed, somehow the Central 46 caught wind of the truth, and demanded your death as well. Do not begrudge them for this decision though; you must not forget that the previous wielder almost destroyed Soul Society centuries prior; they only decided in foolishness that you would also have the same trait. However, I knew that you were a direct descendant of the true bloodline, and fully capable of wielding the power bequeathed to you. So I intervened once again, I said that you should be brought into Soul Society under my tutelage, and I would make sure that such an event never repeated itself. However, something went wrong."

"The Central 46 squabbled amongst itself about my decision without my knowledge. They decided to take you from your family and leave you in an environment where you would most likely die naturally. They contacted the Hikari family without my consent, voicing their decision and taking you away, leaving you to rot within Rukongai."-Yamamoto finished. Yoshirou was shocked by this truth; he was decided to be killed as a child? How was that possible? "I am unsure as to how you survived so long without being killed, but I have one theory. A man of intense and horrible power walked the streets you lived on, and was known to always protect a young child (2). It is perhaps possible you were mistaken as the child by others and they daren't attack you. Regardless, I discovered you within the following years, but my hands were tied. I could not defy the ruling of the Central 46, so instead I simply encouraged your development into being a shinigami. After watching over your development, I started to see the traits of the previous wielder, the increased anger and emotional instability that worried me. However, one day you simply changed, I assumed you finally managed to make peace with the zanpakuto within you, I never once imagined that you had actually changed the zanpakuto within you."

"What do you mean?"-Yoshirou asked, interrupting yet again. "I already said the previous zanpakuto was Tengoku no Shibou, the zanpakuto has always taken that form since the very first time it manifested. However, your zanpakuto is named Taiyoukousen, correct? You probably gave your zanpakuto that name, rather than being taught it, correct?"-Yamamoto asked. **No, Taiyou said that was her name, that it was the name she chose to go by. **Yoshirou thought, before he was interrupted.

_No Yoshirou, I had no knowledge or memories of my name, I chose that name since you had given me a purpose alongside the name, remember?_

**Yea…but I never imagined I was actually defining my zanpakuto by that…** "Well regardless, as a being from the original family, reforming your zanpakuto spirit from nothing is probably within your power. Also, every ability that is commonly seen within the main families tied to the Hikari house is also within your repertoire. No doubt you're the one who broke the Seal upon the Shihoin Shield?"-Yamamoto accused. Yoshirou hung his head guiltily, but Yamamoto decided not to pursue it. "All the abilities prided by the main Noble families are under your command, as well as much more. There is no need to go into much detail about this, but suffice to say it is the difference between a master race of beings and the sub races underneath it, the difference between your bloodline and the bloodlines of other shinigami. As things lay, you are perhaps the greatest force that Soul Society has to combat Aizen's insurrection. However, your zanpakuto is but a replica, it is not the original light zanpakuto."

Yoshirou was rather annoyed by the phrasing of what Yamamoto said, but Yamamoto leaned forward now. "There may be a chance since Central 46 is now gone, that we may find a way to restore the light zanpakuto to its former power. Your zanpakuto at the moment is probably at a third of its potential power, with the knowledge hidden within the Central 46 banks, it may be possible to restore your zanpakuto to its former power. With its power, it should be much easier to defeat Aizen." Yoshirou stepped out of his seat, drawing his zanpakuto. The broken blade glinted back at him. He held the sword up before him, saying-"No way. Taiyoukousen is my zanpakuto, I will not have her changed just because this Tengoku no Shibou is the more powerful zanpakuto." Yamamoto paused, before calmly saying-"This decision may lead to our defeat at his hand, do not take it so lightly. Remember, he defeated you when you have this much power, can you be sure you can combat him without your full power?" Yoshirou didn't waver, instead saying "Well, if I become stronger along with Taiyou, then whose to say Taiyou wont become stronger than this Tengoku no Shibou? It's simple, if the replica surpasses the original; it becomes the original, right?" With these words, the zanpakuto suddenly glowed brightly, surprising both Yoshirou and Yamamoto. Before their eyes, the sword became whole once more, shining brightly as the sun reflected on the new blade edge. Yamamoto smiled at the whole display-"It seems your zanpakuto agrees with you. Fine, I shall no longer pursue this subject with you."

"Now, I'm afraid I must ask for your total secrecy on what I have told you, you cannot tell another soul the information you now hold, everything I have told you defies the words that have been passed down by the generations of shinigami, it cannot be known. As such, you shall still retain your chosen name, Yoshirou Kenshin. Unfortunately, in the light of the current situation, I cannot grant you access to Heaven where your house resides, as I believe this dimension is the aim of Aizen as well. The Heaven that he spoke of reaching may indeed be the original dimension of the Spirit King, the ruling family which your house guards alongside the Yami house. As the Sou Taichou, I am the only person who knows the exact way to enter the dimension, but most likely he discovered the same information hidden away within the Central 46, damned be it that I had to tell them about it 600 years ago."-Yamamoto cursed to himself quietly, surprising Yoshirou, who had never heard the Sou Taichou curse. "It may yet prove my undoing, being made reveal the truth to the Central 46 all that time ago. I must personally apologise that this secret had been kept from you, it was for your security and the restrictions placed upon me to stop you from knowing. I have done all I can to support you throughout your career, I tried to get you to join my squad, but you chose elsewhere. Also, I have done everything to support you, a hundred years ago after the believed betrayal of Urahara and Tessai, I planned to have you disband the squad and join my own as my Vice Captain, but you strongly voiced that you wished to remain among the Kido Corps, so I respected your decision and let you be."

Yamamoto suddenly stopped, realising something. "I almost forgot, there was another reason why I summoned you as well as giving you your new position and talking about the past. I have a new mission for you. You are to accompany the Ryoka back to Karakura Town and meet up with their associates. Since Aizen's betrayal has been brought to light, we must now consider the chance that they are in fact completely innocent. They accused Aizen hundreds of years ago-." "Wait, Tessai accused Aizen of betrayal a hundred years ago, and that's why he was exiled! Why was I not made aware of this! I was told they had betrayed Soul Society in hollowification experiments!"-Yoshirou exclaimed angrily, but Yamamoto gave him a stern look. "Do not take me for a fool; I know you have been in contact with Tessai after his exile. You didn't believe the story so do not act as though you can be offended. Although you were unaware that they had accused Aizen, it was kept secret by Tessai as well to protect you, so there was no need for you to know."-Yamamoto said sternly, shaming Yoshirou into being quiet. "Now, your orders are to convey the news of what has occurred in Soul Society recently, and to establish communication between Soul Society and their establishment, they are both extremely proficient shinigami and will be of great aid in the day's to come. Upon successfully accomplishing your mission, you are to return to Soul Society, wherein a relief squad shall be positioned in Karakura. You shall set off tomorrow along with the Ryoka, there is no need to hide your mission from them, you may tell the Ryoka what you wish."

"All right then, anything else Yamamoto-san?"-Yoshirou asked, before the old man shook his head. However, just as he was about to go out the door, he heard one last message. "I believe you have heard that you have teachers arranged for you correct? Three in all?" Yoshirou paused, turning back to the old man. "The last teacher will be the one who teaches you control of your elemental zanpakuto, after you have gained your Bankai, your lessons shall begin with me."-Yamamoto announced. **What the hell!** Yoshirou thought in surprise, standing stock still. "As the man who fought the previous wielder, I am the only person in Soul Society with experience in what the Light Zanpakuto can do, and as the wielder of an elemental zanpakuto myself, I shall be able to teach you to better control it. However, this will wait until after you have gained your Bankai, your Shikai at the moment does not have the matching abilities that I witnessed in my fight; I believe they will manifest themselves after you have gained your Bankai. Now you are dismissed."

(5 minutes later)

As Yoshirou walked out of the Barracks, his head still rang in confusion with all he had learnt.** I'm a shinigami descendant from a house that dates back to beyond all houses? A being from a different realm of existence altogether? Part of the so called Royal Guard? I have the same abilities as half of the houses about nowadays? Hell, even just ignoring all that, I'm a Captain now? And now I'm going to be given the training from hell by the most powerful shinigami of our generation? Man, my life is taking far too many turns nowadays…** Yoshirou thought as he absently strolled out the gates. The wind suddenly picked up about him, blowing hard about his body. At first Yoshirou ignored in until he could hear some kind of flapping about him. Looking back, he realised his Haori was flowing with the wind about his body. **Oh that's awesome!** He thought as he quickly used shunpo, reappearing a few metres in the air. He watched the effect as he landed back on the ground about him, the Haori flying up before falling about him. **How come nobody said having a Haori was this cool?**

_Nice, you become a captain and the first thing you think about is how *cool* the Haori is? Scatterbrain…_

**Aww cmon, at least let me focus on the few perks this new get up gives me!** Yoshirou thought as he repeated his trick, this time materialising over 20 metres into the air. However, partway through his free fall, he realised that something was different. The reishi about him was much thicker than before. Focusing, he quickly pulled the reishi about him, focusing it below him. He sound found himself landing on an invisible platform in the air. **Hey, I didn't know they lifted the Sekkiseki (3) walls already! Awesome, no more having to negotiate the streets!**

_Will you get out of the air already! Nearly every shinigami within 50 metres is staring at you!_

**They are? Yoshirou thought as he looked about him. Sure** enough, he had many surprised and confused shinigami staring at him. **What's with the confusion?**

…_perhaps the Haori…?_

**Oh crap, of course, didn't think of that!** Yoshirou thought, instead concentrating on the air ahead of him. **Dunno how well this will work in mid air, but lets test it!** Yoshirou thought as he braced off the reishi in the air, dispersing it about him in a quick burst. Sure enough it worked the same as it had on the ground, sending him speeding forward, the air whipping about his body. He then quickly refocused on gathering and dispersing the reishi below his foot with each step, quickly getting into a pattern. Another thought suddenly occurred to him. **Hey, if I focus the reishi about my feet, my feet are drawn towards the focus point right? That's how we walk on air, right?**

_Yes, I'm sure you learnt that in the academy…_

**Yeah, enough of the sarcastics, what's with your mood today?**

_(Sighs) None too sure, just don't feel very happy at the moment. Perhaps all those revelations that I'm a copy are annoying me, I don't know…_

**Look, I already told you that you're my zanpakuto, that Tengoku no Shibou isn't what you are, that's a broken zanpakuto that was about 600 odd years ago. What matters is that you're my partner, not that old rusty blade, you chose me, and I accepted you, what does it matter about some bit of history? You're my partner, and that's not about to change any time soon. I'm sure the zanpakuto supports the shinigami's emotional state, not the other way around. Don't worry, what Yamamoto's said has changed nothing, like I told you, we will become strong enough that you will be the original, and that old blade will just be a relic of the past, not a legend, not an original blade, just old news.**

_Hrm…well, what were you saying then?_

**Eh? Umm… ah yeah! Well, in shunpo, you gather the reishi before forcibly dispersing it, that means it's repulsed when it disperses. However, the essential fact is that gathering reishi gathers everything about it with it. What if since my feet are attracted to the reishi, I tried walking upside down?**

…_well I suppose it would work, but I'm not sure if that's helpful…_

**No but it would be an awesome party trick.**

_(Feminine laugh) You can tell your sense of urgency is gone now. Well I suppose at least you may surprise your squad with it._

**That's better!** Yoshirou thought, glad that he had cleared up his zanpakuto's bad mood. **Didn't even know zanpakuto's could have bad days actually… ah well, time to try this out! **After his next step, he backflipped in mid jump, concentrating once again. Just like he thought, he ended up standing upside down on the air. However, what he hadn't expected was that his Haori was also attracted toward the point in the sky, and he didn't feel the blood rush from standing upside down (4). Laughing, Yoshirou thought **Oh wow, I did not predict that.**

_Surprising, does the reishi concentration create a new gravity effect that overpowers the grounds gravity? Change what I just said, this is actually easily useable for combat, if you can face your foe at any angle with no kind of impediments it could be useful._

**Yeah, but I daren't try using shunpo upside down; I'll probably ram my face into the concrete** Yoshirou thought as he released the reishi about his feet. Correcting his fall, he once again gathered the reishi to stand on air, this time right way up. **This is probably a basic of shunpo techniques knowing it, I was just not taught Hoho fully. I'll have to ask Soi Fon more on it when I next see her.** However, Yoshirou realised something was wrong. Looking down, he saw that he had dropped something, as an object spiralled through the air towards the ground. **Whoops** Yoshirou thought as he dived for the sigil that he recognised. He caught it an inch from the ground. **Kira wouldn't be happy if I bust her new insignia before she even saw it.** Yoshirou realised as he set his sights upon his squad barracks in the distance. Using his shunpo, he headed off towards the barracks.

_Hey Yoshirou, you know what you said earlier? Thanks for it._

**Hrm? No problem, you're my partner of course I'd support you.**

_Well, I may have figured out a way to continue your Bankai training now._

**What? Brilliant!**

_I wouldn't celebrate yet, you remember the mess Kurosaki was in? This might be just as bad…_

**Oh…better wait till after this mission to begin then.**

(Kido Corps Barracks.)

The sun was starting to set as Yoshirou started to walk into his barracks. Yoshirou literally had no time to prepare, all he got was the time it took for the first walking about squad member to see him. As Yoshirou saw him, the man's face cracked into a huge grin before charging towards the mess hall. **Oh uh, here they come.** Yoshirou thought as he literally felt the ground shake as the massed squad members started pouring out of the mess hall, other shinigami appearing from other rooms after hearing the storm of footsteps. He soon found himself at the centre of a cheering and whooping throng of shinigami. "Yoshirou, you finally got it!" "The new Taichou! He's got the frickin Haori to prove it!" "About damn time, how many more years was it going to take!" "White and sleeveless? Odd combo…" "Say's the guy who wears a sash, you pansy!" "Taichou!" "Taichou!" "Three cheers for the Taichou!" Yoshirou could barely hear himself think as he was physically dragged into the mess hall. It only took about a minute before everybody was roaring with drinks in their hands, celebrating his promotion. He was half tempted to join in, but was looking for his target. Scanning the weaving mass of people, he quickly realised Kira wasn't about. Stopping the man who was beside him from joining in with the raucous singing, he asked "You know where Kira is at?" "Trainin' ah think. Does it matter? Let's drink!"-the man shouted out, joined by cheers from the rest of the crowd, all duties forgotten in celebrating the occasion.

However, Yoshirou had things to do. It took three attempts, being dragged back in by the squad members who spotted him the first two times, before he managed to escape the hall unnoticed. **Heh, I suppose they deserve something to celebrate about in these days** Yoshirou thought as he scanned the reiatsu's about to find his target. **Oh, she's training with those two?** Yoshirou thought as he felt three reiatsu signatures nearby, two of them very active, one passively observing. Quickly walking out of the barracks, he located the courtyard that they were training in. The first thing he had to do was dodge a widely shot fireball from some bodies Shikai, flying by him as it missed its initial target. As he watched, he saw that Haneko was training with Kira, while Tansho was observing the pair. Haneko's flaming scimitar shikai was active, sending elemental attacks at its quickly dodging target. **Yep, that's her shikai at work** Yoshirou thought as he watched Kira's rapid speed movement across the area, too fast to not be her shikai effect. As far as he could tell, she was trying to close the distance from her target while Haneko was keeping her at bay from long distance. Every time she got close enough to reach him, he would shunpo to a new location, starting again. **So evasion training then?** Yoshirou pondered as he approached Tansho, who he quickly realised wasn't just observing. "Keep your movements to a minimum; you're not stopping yourself fast enough whenever you change directions!"-Tansho shouted over to them, advising Kira on her movement patterns. "Tansho, please stop trying to help her! She's going to hit me next time I think!"-Haneko called back jokingly as he once again shunpo'd just out of Kira's reach.

**Say what you will, she's at least reaching you** Yoshirou thought, considering how well her abilities were starting to mature. "How's she doing, Tansho?"-Yoshirou asked, surprising the man. However, Tansho didn't turn to him, keeping his eyes on Kira's performance. "I think she's getting better at a very surprising rate, she couldn't get within 4 metres earlier because his accuracy was too good at that range, that Izuna (5) ability of hers is rather interesting, I've never seen a performance enhancing shikai before; that movement of hers is far faster than normal movement speeds. It isn't a match for shunpo, but in close range she's almost as fast as a Hakuda user. Haneko is right to be worried; in close range she might do him some damage since he has already agreed to not use Kido in this training round."-Tansho explained. "She still isn't up to the level I'd consider a Vice Captain to be at, but give it time, we'll make sure she gets up to it." Across the field, Yoshirou could see there was a lull in the battle, Kira was panting heavily as Haneko faced her. "Do you want to stop now?"-Haneko asked. However, Kira didn't reply, instead appearing in front of Haneko, aiming to slash him with her bladed gauntlet. However, Haneko had already disappeared, standing further away holding his Shikai at the ready.

Yoshirou loudly clapped his hands, getting their combined attention. "Alright, trainings on hold for now!" Across the way, he watched as Haneko swiped his sword down directly, the flame about the scimitar disappearing as the blade converted back to a traditional katana. Quickly sheathing his sword, he waited for his opponent to do the same. However, Kira was staring dumbfounded at Yoshirou. "T-Taichou?"-she said, staring unbelieving at the Haori about his body. The other two seemed to sense her surprise, also turning to Yoshirou before seeing his Haori. Both men seemed to simultaneously jump in surprise at the clothing, before smiling at the same time. I'll never get over how much in synch those two are… Yoshirou thought as Kira jogged over to him, Haneko walking over at a more leisurely pace. "You really did get promoted then!"-Kira exclaimed happily. Is it me or has she not been told everything? Yoshirou wondered as he saw her happy face, unsure as to how she could be happy like this after everything that happened yesterday. "Yep, hey Kira, what actually happened yesterday?"-Yoshirou asked off hand, curious as to her reply. Kira kind of lost some of her cheer as she said. "You know that Aizen betrayed Soul Society and so on right? I was with Unohana when we discovered it in the Central 46, but I got captured by Aizen. I don't know much about what happened next though, I woke up back in the squad with Tansho and Haneko, and they told me that Aizen and his men had retreated without killing anybody, there were some injuries but everybody made it through. How come you didn't know, Taichou?"-Kira asked curiously. Yoshirou glanced at the two men, however rather than looking apologetic, they had serious faces on them, showing that they didn't regret hiding the truth from her about his situation. Realising it was probably for the best, Yoshirou said-"I was stuck searching about Rukongai for a mistaken signal from one of the squad members, I missed all the fun on the hill, so I didn't know what happened up there."

Kira pulled a face at him, pushing him with her hands. Yoshirou immediately felt a nasty sting from the contact, electricity spreading across his body from the contact with her forgotten gauntlet shikai. Kira seemed to quickly realise her mistake, sealing and sheathing her shikai before pulling an apologetic face. "Jeez, don't go doing that to people, it may only sting someone of my power, but you could probably hurt somebody with that if you weren't careful."-Yoshirou said exasperatedly, as he thought** Taiyou, did that do anything to the wounds?**

_*Sigh*Yes, your chest wound has started bleeding again, only a minor bit of damage though, I've already stopped it, but your going to have to take a look at it before you go to sleep tonight._

**Ah crap.** Returning back to the situation at hand, Yoshirou asked-"Well, what do you think of the Haori?" to Kira. She quickly looked all around him at the Haori, before asking "Why is it sleeveless?" "Loads of Captains use sleeveless Haori's, it's not quite as refined, but better for manoeuvrability, that's why it's sleeveless." Tansho then spoke up-"White underlay? I would have thought a dark blue like the original Dai Kidōchō uniform?" Yoshirou sighed before saying-"Tansho, if I wanted to act like the Dai Kidōchō, I would have walked about with that boring old staff Tessai had. Anyway, dark blue is taken already; Byakuya has the blue underside on his Haori." Haneko nodded, instead saying "I would say white suits him better, and the squad insignia is within a rhombus? That would be the official sign of the Gotei 13 then?" "Yep, means our squad is now directly tied in, you guys are probably going to get a lot more stuff to do in the future."-Yoshirou answered. Tansho simply crossed his hands behind his head, saying-"Well missions were pretty rare, and they were only specialist objectives. It should be interesting working alongside the squads of the Gotei 13." Haneko finished by saying-"We are going to need to get some new equipment in, since we shall start taking in new recruits soon. What we do have is reaching antiquity, it's perfect for us since we were trained on them to begin with, but the new recruits will need equipment that matches what was in the academy."

"Well, I'm probably going to be busy for the next few months, can I rely on you three to get the hard stuff done?"-Yoshirou asked. Haneko and Tansho looked at each other with a knowing smile on their faces, while Kira started laughing.-"Taichou, if we left that kind of stuff to you, the Barracks would probably burn down!" Yoshirou feigned a hurt expression, making her laugh even harder. "Anyway, since I have the Haori, that means you get this."-Yoshirou said, holding out the sigil that he had been given earlier. Kira looked at it confused for a second, before realising what it was. She gingerly took it, just staring dumbfounded at it in her hands. Yoshirou waited a few seconds, before coughing lightly-"You're meant to wear it." She quickly did as he suggested, wrapping the insignia about her arm, and continuing to stare at it. It took for Haneko to step forward and say-"Kira-fukutaichou?" before it finally sunk in. "…I'm a Vice Captain…"-Kira quietly said to herself. "Yep, you're the Vice Captain now. If you want, their holding some big party inside, you might want to go present yourself there!"-Yoshirou suggested. Kira nodded slowly, before walking slowly away towards the barracks, still in a half daze. Yoshirou laughed quietly as he watched her go-"Seems she didn't actually expect to get the seat in the end."-Yoshirou noted to himself, before turning to the other two.

"Good work yesterday, you two took out a Captain!" However, the two looked down hearted upon hearing this. Haneko spoke first. "We didn't fully, only a minute into the battle and he was bleeding badly from an injury he had sustained before we fought. You also shook him up beforehand, sending him across the hill with one punch. Even then, we had a hand from the Ryoka ally of Kurosaki." Tansho also said-"We also took far too long, we didn't go all out from the start since we were being wary of his power. It took for you to fall before we became serious, had we gone all out from the start, we may have been able to help you against Aizen…" Yoshirou laughed, before saying "Let's be honest with ourselves, if Aizen could easily best me, then you guys had no chance, it would have been more bodies on the pile. You guys did the right thing, although Aizen succeeded in his plan, everything went alright in the end. We saved everybody on the hill, and nobody died, this little scratch I have will be gone soon enough so don't worry about me holding anything against you two." Turning away from the two, Yoshirou could hear a new roar coming from the barracks, with more cheering and shouting. "Seems Kira just told them as well, want to go to the party?"-Yoshirou asked. The twin's seemed to hesitate for a second, before nodding, following Yoshirou back to the Barracks. As Yoshirou opened the mess hall doors, one last thought went through his head before he was practically pulled into the room. **I don't think I'm going to get to rest any time soon…**

* * *

**Well, chapter done. Now you guys know my version of the whole Spirit King and the 0 Squad, dunno if people want to say it's awful or not, you can if you want. If you like the idea however, then please tell, that idea took quite a lot of work to think of and appreciation for it would make me incredibly grateful. Anyway, next chapter we head into Karakura Town! Might take a while to get done though, i'm hitting some more writers block on this, and I am arguing with myself over whether Yoshirou will be present when Ulquiorra arrives or not. He is definately going to be in Hitsugaya's relief squad, so he will face Grimmjow, but i'm none toi sure of whether to have him meet Yammy and Ulqui, i'm bordering on thinking not, but it could change rapidly, I dunno.**

**Anyhow, seeya next chapter!**

**(1) Hikari means light, Yami means darkness.**

**(2) Now I wonder who sounds like that…. Who would be a monstrously powerful guy who used to walk about Rukongai with a young child?**

**(3) Sekkiseki is the stone that stops complete reishi gathering and therefore stops Shinigami from standing on air while the walls about Seireitei have been dropped. Normally, these walls are raised and not effecting Seireitei, it only went down when the Ryoka were detected in Rukongai. As such, now the walls are raised, we can now use the walking on air ability in Seireitei.**

**(4) Remember when we first saw Shinji? He stood on the air upside down, even holding an open drinks bottle with the liquid not falling about, so I just simulated this for Yoshirou.**

**(5) Izuna-Kira's shikai ability, increase motor reaction speed from a minor electric current induced in her own body, as you can guess, all my characters have elemental shikai's of varying styles. The twins have projectile based swords, Kira has a melee based gauntlet, while Yoshirou's is a completely different story altogether.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Real World

**This one took a lot of work to get out, I suppose it's cause i'm unsure about how to continue past here, the huge time gaps and all to fill. I've come up with a unique scenario that Yoshirou may be included in, involving a new first encounter with the Primera, but i'm not sure if that will go ahead or not. I've also decided that Yoshirou will NOT be present when Ulquiorra makes his first visit to the real world, the reason being the butterfly effect somebody warned me about. I can't have Yoshirou intrude on pivitol development point's for Kurosaki, or it may hammer the entire bleach cannon story out of whack, and i'm trying to keep true as I can.**

**Also, thanks to mq for all the review advice you've been giving! Great to know I have another fan for my story! I'm afraid breaking up text chunks aren't really my forte, it will create huge amounts of text scrawl, which will play havoc on my EXTREMELY SLOW COMPUTER lol. Also, a big warning, the story will take a slightly more lighter tone for a while, since all the tension is now gone, most of the upcoming stuff will be a mix of development, training and omake fun, mixed with a couple of new scenarios I might create (aforementioned primera cameo lol)**

**Anyhow, read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Yoshirou woke up to the sunlight peering through the window. He promptly cursed the light for the pain it brought to his sensitive head. **Oh god, why in hell did I drink that much…?** Yoshirou thought as he tried to clear his thoughts, a thumping headache coming on. He also felt phenomenally thirsty, something that he didn't quite understand since he had drunk so much sake only that night. The party had lasted for hours into the night; they even ended up doing some magic tricks with their kido for fun. The party only ended after a delirious Kira fell unconscious after having apparently declared she loved Yoshirou, the twins, and the guy's who clean the barracks to the entire squad. However, that could easily have been Yoshirou's own imagination; things were getting rather blurry by the time he had left.** God, I hope I didn't do anything stupid like that…**

_Not much, I think the worst was that you walked through a partition door on the way back to your room._

**Why do you sound so awake? I'm suffering badly here…**

_Perhaps because I'm not affected by your drinking antics? Now are you going to get up today?_

**Probably not…**

…_that wasn't really an option… GET UP NOW!_

**Shit!** Yoshirou thought as his mind started ringing from the internal shouting, a rather confusing sensation as his ears felt entirely unaffected. **All right, I'm awake!** Yoshirou complained internally, groggily lifting himself up from the bed. Looking about the room, he saw his Haori draped over a chair, having luckily escaped getting any damage from the party. On that thought, Yoshirou was suddenly curious as to what exactly you do if the captains Haori was damaged, after all Kenpachi's was in a terrible mess. He then remembered that when he visited the Squad 11 barracks, the Haori he saw had the slashes from Kurosaki's sword already repaired; it was simply Kenpachi's preference to have a bedraggled Haori. As he was getting ready to attempt getting out of his bed, he remembered that he was supposed to have checked his wounds last night.

_Don't bother with that now, its healing well enough without intervention, if you try and do anything to it in your current state, you could damage it worse._

**Suppose your right** Yoshirou thought as he successfully exited his bed, stretching his muscles to try and get rid of the numb feeling in them. Quickly getting dressed in a new shihakshou, (complete with per functionary swearing when he realised it still had sleeves on, he had yet to finish destroying all of his shihakshou's.) Yoshirou grabbed his usual equipment from his desk, throwing on his Haori before exiting his room. Yoshirou stumbled along to the mess hall to get some water to parch his thirst. Upon entering, he noticed that the entire hall had already been cleared of the mess from yesterday, and the twins were sitting at a table, apparently not suffering from the same problem he had. Getting some water from the faucet, Yoshirou proceeded to sit at the same table as them. "You look awful Taichou."-Haneko greeted in a much too cheery voice for Yoshirou's liking.

"And how come you guy's don't?"-Yoshirou mumbled, downing the water from the cup in his hand. "We have been up for two hours already; we've been through it and recovered before you even awoke Taichou."-Tansho answered, picking at the bowl of food that Yoshirou hadn't noticed earlier. "Also, we found a particular medicine from the human realm that seems to work particularly well at quelling head pains."-Tansho continued. "Wait, human medicine works on shinigami?"-Yoshirou asked, surprised at the notion of what Tansho suggested. From the look the twins gave him, Yoshirou noted that he should perhaps get some more experience in medicine from the human realm.

"Yes, although our biological systems are different, many things that work for humans also work for shinigami, headache medicine seemingly among them."-Haneko agreed. Fishing a packet from his pocket, he handed it to Yoshirou. "The hell? It's in English?"-Yoshirou asked as he tried to decipher the runes on the packet. Yoshirou could speak that dialect, but never really bothered to learn how to write it. After a few minutes, he deciphered that it contained aspirin, paracetamol and caffeine, but couldn't decipher the name on the packet. **Probably some commercial name **Yoshirou thought as he popped the pills out of the packet, quickly swallowing them. "How long's it going to take?"

Half an hour at longest."-Tansho said as Haneko accepted the box back from Yoshirou. "However, if I remember correctly, you don't exactly have half an hour. You said last night you had a mission to start today, correct?" Yoshirou looked at Tansho with a questioning expression on his face, until his memory kicked in from yesterday. Before Haneko or Tansho could say anything else, they realised they were looking at a rapidly dissipating image of Yoshirou; he had moved so fast he had created a shadow where he had been.

"Wasn't that the trick he used on Tosen yesterday?"-Tansho mused. "Probably, he does seem to come up with the strangest of abilities, remember how he was walking off the ceiling last night? I don't think he even realised he was doing it before he tripped on the top of the door to the Mess Hall."-Haneko noted. "An interesting man, no matter what you say. From graduate to captain in just over a hundred years? He nearly had the official record for shortest time to Captain, had it not been for the young Hitsugaya-taichou."-Tansho said, finishing his meal. "Well, let's get over to the practice grounds, I don't think our new Vice Captain is going to let a hang over stop her from training with us."

(15 minutes later.)

**Why in hell are they up here?** Yoshirou wandered as he finished his last shunpo, arriving at the Soukyoku stands**. Ah well, doesn't matter, the fresh air's cleared up most of my hangover.** As far as he could see, he had arrived on time, the massive Senkaimon barely starting to charge. Quite a few Captains seemed to be in attendance, Ukitake was speaking to Kurosaki about something, Soi Fon was also talking to someone, kneeling close to the ground to converse with the cat form of Yoruichi. Beside these two Captains, Komamura, Byakuya and Unohana were watching the procession. The remaining Ryoka seemed to be gathered about Rukia, who was wearing a floral kimono for the occasion rather than her shihakshou. As he watched, the three observing Captains noted his presence on the hill, Unohana smiling at seeing him, Komamura nodding in his direction. Byakuya just turned back to the Ryoka without acknowledging him. Yoshirou walked forward towards the Ryoka. However, he was first stopped by Byakuya surprisingly. "You intend to follow them to the human realm?"-Byakuya asked quietly as Yoshirou passed him.

"Morning to you too Byakuya, and yep I have a new mission that requires going along with them to meet their associates."-Yoshirou explained. Byakuya nodded slightly at his explanation. "Also, do we have an escort to use the hell butterflies?"-Yoshirou asked. Byakuya shook his head this time. "No, we do not have the men spare, and you cannot control enough of them to ensure the entire parties protection, so there is no point in you taking any."-Byakuya explained. Yoshirou sighed exasperatedly at that. "You're not saying we're going to have to outrun Kōtotsu? C'mon, that's rather annoying; it's not difficult, but what about stabilizing the exit point?"-Yoshirou asked. "The Senkaimon will make sure the exit is definitely within Karakura town, and also above ground. As long as you escape Kototsu, there should be no problem."-Byakuya stated. "Yea for me, but those humans can't fly…"-Yoshirou mused to himself, Byakuya turning back to the conversation between Ryoka and Captain. **Oh well, I'll just catch them with a Kido.**

"Ah Yoshirou!"-Ukitake suddenly said, having noticed his presence. "That Haori really does suit you after all! I assume you're here to accompany the Ryoka back to the human realm?" Upon him saying this, Yoshirou noted Kurosaki looking past Ukitake at him, surprised by the sudden change in uniform for Yoshirou. "…oh wait, you can't go in with them…"-Ukitake suddenly said, interrupting Yoshirou's thoughts. "Err, well I have a mission that I was-"-Yoshirou started to say before he was interrupted.

"Oh, I'm not trying to obstruct you for any reason, it's just that you don't have a Limit Seal yet, do you? Every shinigami of Captain or Vice Captain rank uses a Limit Seal in the real world to stop the effects their full reiatsu might have on the souls within the real world, however since your rank was only made official yesterday, you probably don't have one assigned yet. It's surprising that the Sou Taichou would give you a mission in the real world before you obtained your designated Limit Seal."-Ukitake explained.

**Well that's a problem** Yoshirou thought, before an idea occurred to him. "I can restrict my max reiatsu to about 20% with these."-Yoshirou said as he pulled the old bands he used for training out of his pocket. "They're the bands I showed at the meeting a while back. Besides, thinking on it Kurosaki throws out far more reiatsu than I do, even without a limit the effect from my reiatsu would be unnoticeable."-Yoshirou said as he clipped the bands about his bare arm, feeling his reiatsu drop considerably as his power was sealed. **Is there still enough reiatsu to deal with the wounds?**

_No need to, they are already sealed, as long as you don't get in any fights, they should hold up fine._

Ukitake laughed at the sarcastic comment, before saying "Well, just to keep yourself out of trouble, you should seal your reiatsu anyway. And it seems those bands will be more than sufficient, the Limit Seal seals 80% anyway, it's identical to your bands…actually you might say yours is superior, we can't unseal without permission, while yours just takes you to unclip them, very convenient…"-Ukitake mused to himself, before shrugging. "Well, it's almost time; it should take only another minute before the gate can be opened."-Ukitake said. As he said this, Yoshirou noticed something brush his leg; Yoruichi had gone past him to join the massed Ryoka about Rukia. As far as he could see, it seemed Inoue was trying to force Rukia to accept some kind of dress from her.

"So it seems you did get Captain after all?"-Yoshirou heard Soi Fon ask from behind him. "Yeah, Yamamoto thought it would be for the best if I was promoted now rather than later."-Yoshirou replied, turning to the Captain. "Well, I'll admit it looks better than I expected on you, it seems you did have the look of a Captain after all."-Soi Fon stated, running a critical eye about his body. "…and what exactly does that mean?"-Yoshirou asked suspiciously. "Ever heard of the loose clothes on a scarecrow? That's what I thought it was going to be."-Soi Fon said. Yoshirou sighed exasperatedly; he would never understand why everything seemed to be an insult from the female captain. "I was giving you a compliment; you exceeded what I thought you would look like. You remind me of the old 9th squad captain with that look, and it does actually suit you."-Soi Fon continued after hearing his sigh. "Perhaps you should try wearing your Shitage and Kosode open? (1)" Yoshirou was actually surprised, that sentence didn't end with the usual insult. "You sure you're not just interested in seeing my chest again?"-Yoshirou asked slyly, however Soi Fon smirked, saying-"You're as lean as a scarecrow, what could be so impressive to see?" **Oh that one stung.**

"Hang on, Yoshirou. What exactly do you mean by again?"-Ukitake asked curiously. Yoshirou cursed to himself, he forgot that Ukitake was still suspicious of a relationship between him and Soi Fon. "An accident in training, a new technique with a rather unexpected result."-Yoshirou said, meaning the Shunko technique he had learnt. Ukitake didn't seem to buy it, even though it was half true. However, before he could ask further, the Senkaimon started to shine brightly. "It's time!"-Ukitake said. Yoshirou walked forward, joining the other Ryoka. Kurosaki seemed to linger for a second, saying-"Later, Rukia." Kurosaki started towards the portal, when Rukia called out-"Thank you, Ichigo" Kurosaki turned, a grin on his face as he said "That's my line. Thank you, Rukia." He turned back to the portal, where Yoshirou had paused. Continuing towards the Senkaimon, Kurosaki finished quietly-"Thanks to you, it seems that the rain will finally stop." He stepped through the portal, Yoshirou following as the portal closed behind them, leaving them within the Dangai.

"Aww, how cute Kurosaki."-Yoshirou noted, quickly ducking the foreseen blow as Kurosaki threw a punch at him, shouting-"Shut up! Do you want me to kick your ass?" "Heh, even with all my reiatsu sealed, I can beat you down Ginger."-Yoshirou joked as he dodged another swing. "Enough! No squabbling, we need to get going!"-Yoruichi declared in her more gruff male tone, stopping the fight before it could begin. She then continued along the defined route through the Dangai. "Yoshirou-kun, how come you have one of those cape thingies now?"-Inoue asked as they all started to walk along. Yoshirou indicated the clothing in question, saying-"Haori, it's called a Haori. And you guy's claim to be from Japan? Geez. " "Really? But isn't it a bit long for a normal Haori?"-Inoue asked curiously. Yoshirou thought on it for a second, before realizing she was right by human terms. "Shinigami style Haori, doesn't have to match the sizes that humans wear. Anyway, you get a Haori when you become a Captain of Soul Society, in my case I am now the very first Gotei 13 Kido Corps Captain."-Yoshirou explained.

"Oh, so that's why you're wearing a Haori, the Sou Taichou integrated the Kido Corps into the Gotei 13? A bit of a rash move for that man, I'm quite surprised."-Yoruichi suddenly said. "By the way, what exactly was your purpose of coming with us? No doubt Soul Society wouldn't let their brand new Captain just waltz out of Seireitei to accompany some mere Ryoka back to the human realm; you must have some purpose in coming with us." The Ryoka suddenly all looked at him, it never occurred to them he had a second reason for being there. Kurosaki ignored it though, he already knew since he overheard Yoshirou talking to Ukitake. "Nothing big, I'm basically the apologies boy to your associates in the real world, since I'm the best known person by those two, I was chosen."-Yoshirou explained cheerfully. Yoruichi seemed to accept this, saying-"You sound rather glad to be going." Yoshirou laughed, saying "Of course, it's been over 70 years since I last got to meet Tessai, I'll be glad to get there." Kurosaki started looking at Yoshirou strangely "You shinigami really are old…"-he said. He then seemed to realise something-"Wait, shinigami age that slowly, what about me?"

Yoshirou started to contemplate the question, but a loud roaring from behind him displaced his thoughts. Grinning, he started to lower his body angle as he said-"Well Yoruichi, is this about the time we start running?" Yoruichi turned her head, before her cat eyes suddenly expanded. "Yoshirou, why in hell didn't you warn me about this! Everybody, start running!"-Yoruichi shouted out, suddenly dashing forward at a speed Yoshirou thought was surprising for a cat. Yoshirou laughed as he shot forward, quickly catching up to the running cat, the other Ryoka starting to dash behind him as the massive figure of the Kōtotsu started to catch up with them. "Yoshirou, when we get out of here I am going to claw you to pieces!"-Yoruichi growled, just making Yoshirou laugh louder as they both kept on dashing. Behind them, Kurosaki shouted-"Some kind of informal send off, there's no difference from before! Yoruichi-san, what's the meaning of this!" Yoruichi replied without slowing "Only shinigami can control hell butterflies, and Yoshirou's the only real shinigami among us, he can't control enough butterflies to protect us all! Now just keep running, don't ask any more questions! We're almost at the exit; just use all your might to reach it!"

As they ran forward, a glowing white exit seemed to appear before them. As one, they all exited from the Dangai into Karakura town. The only problem, just like Yoshirou thought, was that they had exited extremely far from the ground, high up in the air above Karakura town. They all seemed to float in the air for a second, before the rules of gravity started to assert their authority upon the collective gang. Yoshirou halted his fall immediately, standing on the air. He had expected Kurosaki to be beside him, but it seemed Kurosaki was falling with the rest of them. **Oh well** Yoshirou thought as he swung his arm forward, mentally activating the bakudo Tsuriboshi…or so he thought he had, nothing happened. **Aww crap, I sealed my reiatsu, it isn't going to work mentally casting! **Yoshirou realised as he started to say "Bakudo no…" However, before he finished his chant, he suddenly watched as the falling crowd were caught in some kind of material, wrapped up into a ball shape as their course altered in mid fall.

As he watched surprised, a young boy with red hair appeared in mid air shouting "Yeah! It's coming! It's coming! It's coming!" As Yoshirou looked again, he realised the boy was holding a huge bat in his hand. **Uh oh, don't say he's going to…** "JINTA HOMERU-!" the boy started to shout, before a much more recognisable shadow appeared behind the boy, instead shouting-"TESSAI DEATH CATCH!" The ball containing the gang collided with both boy and Tessai, flying across the sky. While Yoshirou watched, Tessai somehow unfurled the material with one mighty heave, leaving everybody bunched up in the middle of the now floating carpet. **Oh wow, that's a…rather rustic show** Yoshirou thought as memories of the old stories told in Egypt floated through his mind. However, he then realised there was something different on the carpet. Out of nowhere two more people had appeared on the carpet, another young child with a very melancholic expression on her face, sitting at the back with the kid with a bat. And at the front was a man which Yoshirou recognised. **Well hello Urahara** Yoshirou thought as he looked upon the mysterious shop owner. Yoshirou realised the carpet was actually moving, and decided to keep pace in the air above it, just out of the men's sight.

As he watched, it seemed Urahara suddenly turned, hat off, kneeling in apology to the collective Ryoka. Yoshirou was surprised by that as he jumped through the air, a previous Captain of surprising power himself begging apology from the Ryoka? **He must have been tied into all of this Hougyoku business** Yoshirou realised as he saw Kurosaki talk with him below. However, whatever they had been talking about went wrong. Urahara tried some of his patented humour, and received a sharp elbow in the face for it. **Yeah, Kurosaki can't take jokes** Yoshirou laughed inside as he watched the humorous turn of events. The carpet suddenly slowed as Ishida stood up. It flew closer to the ground, allowing him to depart after some last words to Kurosaki. Yoshirou suddenly decided to fly down, landing nearby Ishida as the carpet departed. "Oh, so that's where you are."-Ishida noted as Yoshirou straightened, walking over to him."I'll tell you the same thing I told Kurosaki, you and I are Shinigami and Quincy, the next time we meet, we will be enemies."-Ishida said darkly as he turned to leave. However, he was halted by Yoshirou suddenly grabbing his shoulder. "You didn't tell them, did you?"-Yoshirou asked. Ishida turned, staring at him hard for a second, before saying-"No and neither shall you. They don't need to know what burdens I have taken for this to succeed. I am the last Quincy; I will not take the pity of the shinigami who scorned our race."

"Pity my ass, you've lost all your god damn powers; you're a liability to them. What are you going to do if they turn to you for your aid in the future? What if Aizen comes back here, and they turn to you to help them? Don't be so arrogant that you don't tell your friends anything."-Yoshirou growled at him, surprising the young man. "They're your friends now; it's up to you to tell them the truth. If you can't face telling them it, then do everything you can to gain your powers back, don't just sit there in self pity snapping at anyone who comes near you." Ishida stared in shock at his words, before hiding his emotions behind his normal façade. Pushing his glasses back up his face, he turned and started to walk away. "I don't need a damned shinigami to tell me that."-Ishida said as he continued to walk away, disappearing into the shadows.

**Well, one more enemy in this town** Yoshirou sighed as he scanned the sky for the carpet. **Perhaps it isn't quite so wise to piss off a Quincy? Arrows tend to sting.** It didn't take long to locate the carpet, it had dropped down to deliver another Ryoka home, and was now rising back into the air. Using shunpo to quickly return to nearby, he could see that only Kurosaki and Chad now remained out of the Ryoka, Inoue had been dropped off while Yoshirou was talking to Ishida. It seemed that all the conversation was finished for tonight as the carpet flew in relative silence, Yoruichi now sitting beside Urahara at the front of the carpet, Tessai beside the two young kids. Yoshirou suddenly realised something. **How come Tessai and Urahara haven't sensed my presence? They know my signature, and the bands aren't that good at sealing my reiatsu, surely they should have sensed my presence by now?** He eventually settled on the answer that they had sensed him, but were waiting for the Ryoka to leave. As he thought this, the carpet dipped once more, allowing Chad to jump off at the nearby apartment, most likely the building he lived in.

"Kurosaki-san, you can be dropped off at your house right?"-Urahara asked as the carpet started flying away, Yoshirou following at a distance. Kurosaki didn't seem to respond, instead looking in the air all about the carpet. "Kurosaki-san?"-Urahara asked. Kurosaki seemed to jump in surprise, before turning around and saying-"Sorry Urahara-san, here is just fine." "B-But-"-Urahara started to say, surprised at Kurosaki's decision, but he had already leapt off the carpet, falling through the air. As far as Yoshirou could tell, he had chosen some river embankment to jump down at, although why he was unsure. Kurosaki just stood looking out across the water as the carpet started to fly away. Yoshirou was tempted to stay and find out what was troubling Kurosaki, but decided to follow the carpet.

"Yoruichi-san, what do you think Kurosaki-san was searching for?"-Urahara asked as Yoshirou caught up with the carpet. "A rather sneaky stalker I believe."-Yoruichi yawned out. **Stalker?** Yoshirou wondered as Urahara suddenly looked up. "Ah, I can sense him now, just feels like a weak shinigami."-Urahara murmured, before calling out-"Mysterious stalker-san, would you mind showing yourself?" Yoshirou laughed at the tone Urahara used at him, shouting back-"That's a rather unfriendly way to refer to me, I'm quite hurt." Both Urahara and Tessai looked about in surprise upon hearing his voice. "Tenshou!"-Tessai said in surprise to Urahara, who had just as surprised an expression on his face. "Well that's a surprise, if I didn't know any better I would say that sounds like Yoshirou-san. How come I didn't notice our little Kido prodigy playing hide and seek?"-Urahara called out, still trying to scan the skies for the source of Yoshirou's voice. "Perhaps cause if you find me I lose the game?"-Yoshirou laughed as he used shunpo to arrive on the carpet, surprising everyone except Yoruichi, who had half expected him to do it.

"Ah Yoshirou-kun I…"-Urahara started to greet, before seeing him properly. "Well goodness, you've changed your style since we last met, which Captain did you steal that particular Haori from?"-Urahara asked. Since Yoshirou was facing Urahara, he couldn't see the sigil, but Tessai could. If Yoshirou could have seen his face, he would have noted that his jaw had nearly hit the carpet, something that the red headed kid was laughing at. Yoshirou laughed, saying-"Sorry Urahara-san, but this ones mine." Urahara nodded, while taking out a fan from his pockets. "So what exactly can I, the owner of the lovely Urahara shop, do for you?"-Urahara asked, waving the fan in his own face. Yoshirou thought for a second, before saying-"Well, it's kinda late, so perhaps a room at your store before I head off in the morning? I'm guessing you already know most of what happened in Seireitei, so there's no point in going into it too deep. I'll tell you the rest when we land." "Okay, I think we can accommodate a freeloader for one night, just make yourself comfortable before we reach the store."-Urahara said as he turned back towards the front of the carpet. **Well that was rather brief** Yoshirou thought as he walked back along the carpet towards were Tessai was sitting.

"It has been a long time, Yoshirou-dono, how have you been?"-Tessai asked, having recovered from his shock earlier. Yoshirou noticed that both of the children seemed to be nursing their heads. **Did he hit them?** Yoshirou wondered as he sat down before Tessai. "Been doing great, life's been pretty fun since you left, I didn't have anybody bossing me about anymore."-Yoshirou said-"Although Kira has been making sure I didn't just laze around all day, bit of a pain really." Tessai seemed to nod at this as if it was good news. "I see that you've been made a Captain? You have been keeping up with your training then?"-Tessai asked. Yoshirou smiled at that. "Yeah, been busy making sure that I kept in good condition, didn't really have anything else to do in the time since you left. Most of my Kido is self taught though, did you know you left your research cache unlocked?"-Yoshirou asked. Tessai nodded at this, saying "I purposefully arranged it so that the relevant information you would need was there. I take it you have started learning mental casting then?" Yoshirou laughed, saying-"That stuff was pretty simple, already up to about 45 in Bakudo and Hado. It's seriously useful, how come nobody else uses it?" Tessai stared at him for a few seconds; to Yoshirou his expression was unreadable. "What, I just said it was easy stuff…"-Yoshirou said uneasily. Tessai then said "You're the first person in a hundred years to have mastered that combat style, no it is not something quite so easy. Even the strongest of users never passed the 33rd level, and it is a style I never managed to learn."

**Eh?** Yoshirou thought to himself.** It only took me about a week to do the first one…oh yeah, damn genetics I suppose… **Yoshirou thought as he remembered Yamamoto's words from yesterday, how his abilities compared to a normal shinigami. How his genetics practically made him a higher being in comparison. "Well, just lucky I guess…"-Yoshirou passed off. Tessai continued to just stare at him for a second, before suddenly the red haired kid said-"What, has the guy got a fly on his face or something?" Tessai promptly lifted a meaty fist, bringing it down on the kid's head "Jinta-dono, you should be more polite!"-Tessai pronounced as the boy called Jinta started to cradle his injured head again. "Jeez, and I thought you used to treat our squad roughly…"-Yoshirou said, feeling pity for whatever Jinta's normal life must be like. "These children are tougher than the good majority of the old squad, only a little punishment seems to get their attention."-Tessai announced. Yoshirou winced at the term Tessai used; it seemed to promise a lot of head bashing, loud shouting, and general pain.

"I am surprised that you took the role of Captain after all, you refused the role of Vice Captain under me, yet took command after I had left."-Tessai noted. Yoshirou rolled onto his back, instead staring up at the stars in the sky. "A lot changed after you left, Tessai… I know I always seemed lazy to you, but protecting others has always been my core ideal…after you left they planned to demolish the squad, and I couldn't let that happen… I may be lazy, but I liked where I was, with my friends, if taking command was what I needed to do to keep us all together and safe, then I would do it."-Yoshirou said quietly, continuing to stare up at the sky. "Hmm…then everything turned out for the better after I left you all."-Tessai noted. Yoshirou turned to look at him, surprised by what he meant. "I could not control the events that led to our exile, just as you do, I had what I must protect, many innocents had been harmed by the machinations of Aizen, I could not leave them. However, I am glad that after I left you grew up; even now you sit before me, perhaps stronger than I ever was. Yes, I am glad that everything went alright after we left."-Tessai noted quietly, a rare melancholic expression upon his face.

"BUT!"-Tessai suddenly roared, making Yoshirou jump a mile. "Reports that we had showed you getting into far too much trouble over the last few days! I'm sure I taught you to be wary about what you try; you're strong, but not enough to do everything! If I hear you trying to do that again, I will put you under the Kin spell and leave you in the Tenshou's basement for a month!"-Tessai declared, and Yoshirou was actually pretty worried, as strong as he was, he didn't fancy trying to bust out of the strongest Bakudo ever made, especially one that Tessai had cast. If Tessai made true on his threat, it would probably take him a month to break out of it. "Tessai-san, you should keep your voice lowered a bit. As much as normal souls can't see us, they will hear the ruckus you are making."-Urahara called back, slightly annoyed that his conversation with Yoruichi had been disrupted. Tessai's face blanched as he kneeled, saying-"My deepest apologies, Tenshou!" "Well, it doesn't matter, we are here."-Urahara said as he stood, the carpet starting to lower. Turning to face Yoshirou, he flashed the fan in front of his face, saying-"Yoshirou-san, welcome to the humble Urahara store!"

(10 minutes later)

Yoshirou was sitting on a cushion opposite Tessai and Urahara. Yoruichi had chosen to curl up between the two men, apparently happy to remain in her cat form for now. "…and that's the gist of it."-Yoshirou said as he finished describing the events within Soul Society for the past week. Beside him, he realised the young girl from earlier was offering him a tray, a few cup's of some type of drink on it. "Ah, thanks."-Yoshirou said as he took the drink, quickly realising it was some kind of green tea. The girl bowed, before walking away, not saying anything. "Quiet girl that one."-Yoshirou noted, blowing on the tea before drinking some. Surprisingly it was very nice; he hadn't expected it to be brewed to his taste after all. "Ah, young Ururu is a good girl, shy, very hard working, but she does tend to beat herself up for the smallest of mistakes"-Urahara said as he accepted a drink from the tray as well.-"Also, she's a lot better at making tea than either me or Tessai, which is a very welcome change. After all, I would never let young Jinta near the china; I would find him trying to pitch them out the window on one of his fanciful baseball impressions." Yoshirou had to laugh at the mental imaging of the red haired kid throwing cups out the window, probably shouting some fanciful title along with it.

"So, Aizen seems to be after you as well? That I am very surprised to hear, if he was aiming for potential threats, singling you out alone is a very strange move."-Urahara noted, watching Yoshirou for any kind of response. "I think he was worried about the risks the light zanpakuto might bring, after all I'm still trying to attain my Bankai. Once I have it, Soul Society would have a new Captain rank combatant with a weapon Aizen has never seen before, an elemental one at that, that's probably why he was after me, nobody likes variable factors in their plans."-Yoshirou explained, he had taken a few minutes to think of this argument beforehand, and just like he hoped, it seemed to work on Urahara. "But, do you really think you can make a difference?"-Urahara asked. Yoshirou looked down for a second, he knew how horribly powerful Aizen had been, his survival was purely through luck. However, Yoruichi came to his defence. "He cut Aizen, that's proof enough."-Yoruichi announced, making Urahara jump in surprise. "You injured him? In combat? Even with the element of surprise, the best I could do was slashing his old armband off; even Tessai's Kido was stopped by him. To think you actually hit him, that's very surprising."-Urahara said. Yoshirou didn't feel like it was much of an achievement though, he had given him a tiny cut, Aizen had nearly cut him clean in half.

Tessai seemed to notice that Yoshirou's mood had turned south upon discussing Aizen. "Tenshou…"-he said quietly, trying to alert Urahara to the problem. Urahara looked up; clearly seeing the face Yoshirou was pulling. He waved his hands slightly to try and emphasize his point, when he said-"Now, now. Such things are in the past, the important thing is that now we can help with stopping Aizen once and for all." Yoshirou perked up upon hearing that. "We also have some allies that we might be able to persuade to help, but for that we will have to rely on Kurosaki."-Urahara announced. Yoshirou was slightly surprised by the comment, allies Kurosaki could enlist? "The best thing for you would be to get some rest, and get ready bright and early for tomorrow. Your power will probably be of great help in the upcoming war, but you're not quite ready yet. You should focus wholeheartedly on becoming stronger for the upcoming battle, if there's anything Kurosaki has shown me, then people can grow stronger much faster with commitment and heart, and I believe you have those. Now, the spare room has probably been set up by Ururu for you by now, just go and get some rest."

(P.O.V change)

Urahara was quietly sitting by the desk, lost in thought as Yoruichi stalked back into the room. "Just had a bit of healing work to do on his chest, then he went off to sleep."-Yoruichi noted as she strolled over to Urahara's sitting spot, curling up beside him. Across the table, Tessai was silently sitting there. The moment seemed to spread for a moment, before Urahara sighed deeply. "So, what about him? It seems your worries were unneeded, as far as I can tell he's developed into an extremely capable shinigami, with no problems about his zanpakuto like you feared."-Urahara noted. Tessai nodded, saying-"It seems that whether they worked towards their original purpose or not, the equipment I gave him are still in use by him. It was supposed to be a method to make sure that even if he did nothing, his reiatsu would not change. The bands forcibly absorbed his reiatsu to a limit, making his body learn to increase its reiatsu storage in turn to offset the loss. They also have a secondary purpose; they disguise his output reiatsu, making it impossible to detect his presence correctly while he wears them. However, it seems they were unnecessary, he continued his training with renewed purpose after we left Soul Society."

"But, I'm worried anew. He's been dramatically affected by fighting and losing to Aizen, this may cause problems again. He does seem to have lost a lot of confidence in himself, he used to be perfectly sure that he could do anything, and that was why he did nothing. However, he's suddenly straining himself to do everything in turn, and he's going to bring himself to ruin if he isn't careful. He has to learn he doesn't need to do everything; that he should trust others to help him protect what he needs to."-Tessai stated. Urahara leaned back, stretching his arms. "I don't think it's such a big matter myself, this feels more like a stepping stone for him. If anything, he probably needed this to be able to better himself, remember your zanpakuto will not accept you fully unless you can prove that you can overcome your greatest obstacle. The greatest obstacle is recovering from defeat, to remember to swing your sword once more for what you believe in. But…I don't think it will be quite the same for him, he's ready to fight once again already, but he has a greater trauma, one that he will have to overcome before he can move forward again. It's something we can't do anything about, he must learn it himself."-Urahara noted.

Yoruichi stretched beside him. "Really, so many troublesome things keep happening. You and I aren't going to die a simple death, are we Kisuke?" Urahara smiled sadly, stroking the cat like form beside him as he said-"I guess it can't really be helped…"

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**Well chapter over, hope you guys like the chapter, I tried to attempt a more free spirited track than all the tension i've put in recently, dunno if it worked or not. The next few chapters mighten't have much action that pertain to the cannon storyline, I'm still trying to figure out how I will do the Bankai training, I have a decent idea of how it will go, but I wan't Yoshirou to learn a technique partway through for his Shikai before he attains the Bankai, i'm just not sure how to do that. Oh well, more challanging thoughts for me, more interesting reading it makes. Seeya next chapter! (BTW sorry for OOC Tessai, theres no other way to do it for my storyline, he needs to be able to talk freely, he has to be able to say more than "Yes Tenshou" and "Sorry Tenshou" for my story to work lol.)**

**(1). Half of the Shihakshou, the Shihakshou being the complete name of the Shinigami uniform, lit. Garment of Dead Souls. The Shitage and Kosode are the respective names for the top half of the uniform, the Shitage being the under-shirt, the Kosade being the over garment.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for slow update, and such an abnormally short one too, been very busy and not had much time to do this. Well, i'm still having trouble thinking of what I intend to do with this, I still have a few months in my story with big gaps in it, i'm trying to think of things to fill it up, but at the moment all I can think of is something stupid like "He trained for X weeks with "this person"" to pass time, but I really don't wan't to do that, once again my hea'ds jumped too far, I have a massive plan for the story in the winter war, but I can't think of what to write to pass the time until then. It might just end up being Omake, but anythings better than a big gap I would think.**

**Anyhow, on with the (sorry) short chapter!**

**UPDATE: Ah, I forgot, hello to .Julian.J, nice to see i'm getting more fans, thanks!**

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Yoshirou had been intending to sleep in, but a loud crash in another room had woken him up earlier than he intended. "Jinta-kun!"-a female voice called out in surprise as Yoshirou struggled to wake up. "I know, jeez how was I supposed to know it would break from such a little tap!"-an annoyed sounding Jinta responded. Yoshirou guessed that the first voice had to have been the young girl Ururu, and judging from the way the conversation was going, Jinta had broken something. "Well c'mon and clean it up!"-Jinta ordered. "B-But it was you who…"-Ururu started to say, before crying out in pain. "No! Please let go of my hair!" "Shut up cockroach, it was you who broke it in the first place!"-Jinta said back at her. Yoshirou wondered whether he should break the two up, but a sudden bang as a partition door was rammed open stopped him. "JINTA-DONA, WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON?"-Tessai declared in a far too loud voice. "Ururu broke something and is trying to make me clean it!"-Jinta effortlessly lied, while Ururu had seemingly started crying judging from the noises. A loud bang noise told Yoshirou that Tessai had administered swift punishment upon the lying boy.

**Holy, is that how their normal day's go?** Yoshirou wondered as he heard the partition door to his room rammed open. "YOSHIROU-DONO, IT IS TIME THAT YOU AWOKE!"-Tessai declared, walking into the room with a freshly cleaned set of robes. **What the, did they clean them while I was asleep?** Yoshirou wondered as Tessai set them neatly down at the end of his futon. "Yeah, I know I'm getting up."-Yoshirou grumbled, finding it a bit nostalgic to be ordered about by the massive man again. Looking down at his chest, he saw that the wound that he had been working on last night was now nearly entirely healed, only a small slash mark remaining where he hadn't finished healing. He found it much easier to inspect now he was no longer looking at one of his organs. As he looked back up, he jumped in surprise at the closeness of Tessai's face; it was nearly right in his own.

"Hrm, you can use healing techniques as well, veeery strange…"-Tessai noted. Yoshirou had only discovered his aptitude at healing a few years after Tessai had left Soul Society, it was another skill added to the myriad list he had already. He always thought it strange that he could use healing techniques while he had such highly specialized battle skills too; normally you had to sacrifice one to gain ability in the other. Of course, to him that was no longer a mystery either. **Jeez, I didn't quite take into account how different I was until Yamamoto said those things.**

_It's not a problem is it? Your abilities allow you to help others in ways many can't._

**Yeah I suppose so** Yoshirou mused, before realising Tessai had yet to move his face from in front of his. "…Tessai, when are you going to move?"-Yoshirou asked. "After you answer why your eyes keep alternating colours, Yoshirou-dono."-Tessai replied bluntly. Rolling his eyes, Yoshirou pushed on Tessai's shoulder, sending the man back as he said-"It's connected to my zanpakuto, stuff you wouldn't understand." Tessai rose from the ground, satisfied with the answer he had obtained. "When you are ready, the Tenshou is waiting for you inside the store."-Tessai announced, leaving the room closing the partition door behind him. Yoshirou sighed annoyed, before quickly getting up. He quickly threw on his robes and Haori, tying his zanpakuto into his belt as usual, before leaving the room. He quickly spotted whatever it was that broke, alongside the angry boy that was cleaning it, As far as he could tell it was a lamp of some sorts.

Ignoring it, he quickly tried to find which door led to the store. The first was an unsuccessful attempt, it led to a kitchen of sorts where Ururu was walking about with some utensils, apparently recovered from the bullying from earlier. The second one was even worse; he found a barely dressed Yoruichi half lying on a futon, sleeping quietly. He tried to back out of the room quietly, but Jinta had picked this moment to finish with his task. "Hey freeloader, what are you going in here for?"-he asked in a brash voice. Yoshirou quickly vanished, but the damage was done. "Yoshirou, your not coming back to try and get a second feel are you?"-Yoruichi called from the room as Yoshirou walked back along the connecting corridor, face turning red from her words. **Damn cat, like hell she was asleep.** Yoshirou thought as he eventually found the right doorway, where he found Urahara had been listening intently from the door.

"Well, well, what was that all about?"-Urahara asked innocently as Yoshirou pushed past him. "Yoruichi being Yoruichi, what else could it be?"-Yoshirou said irritably as he stepped into the store properly. Urahara looked back in the direction Yoshirou had come, seeing a laughing Yoruichi emerged in her still half dressed form from her room. Playing with his fan as he turned back to Yoshirou he said-"Well, she's always quite free spirited, makes a nice change about the place with the way Tessai radiates "muscle man" wherever he walks." Yoshirou had to agree with that, the massive muscles on the man practically screamed to get everybody's attention when he passed them, and Yoshirou knew they weren't for show, his physical strength practically matched Yoshirou's own, if not a tad stronger.

"That still doesn't mean she should go everywhere half naked, she spent a decent amount of our time in Soul Society picking on Kurosaki and me. I had to sit in her presence for two hours, trying to heal Kurosaki while she was stark naked, using the excuse there was no clothes for her to wear!"-Yoshirou argued back, to which Urahara raised an eyebrow at. "You have a problem with that type of situation?"-he asked innocently again, to which Yoshirou just gave up on trying to make him say otherwise. "Look, I need to be getting back to Soul Society soon enough, is there anything you want me to say to the Sou Taichou on your behalf?"-Yoshirou asked, but Urahara took a sudden different look, instead saying-"I will need to discus our plans with the Sou Taichou directly, sorry but I can't let this information go through you since even I haven't fully gotten my plan together yet. I think I might know what he is after." Yoshirou raised an eyebrow at that, curious as to what Urahara had thought it would be. Yoshirou asked-"Well what's your idea." Urahara froze for a second, uncertain as to how much he should say to him. Yoshirou realized immediately that Urahara didn't fully trust him; he might have gotten the answer if Tessai knew it, but Urahara was going to remain tight lipped.

"He could be after Kurosaki, for his unique powers."-Urahara fluently lied. Yoshirou had to make an effort not to roll his eyes. Urahara had forgotten that Yoshirou was on that hill when Aizen attacked, if he was after Kurosaki he would have taken him then, when nobody could have adequately defended him. "Well who knows, that's possible as well."-Yoshirou said, as if he believed Urahara's cover up. "…but should we really let Kurosaki have a free leash then?" Urahara waved his fan amicably, saying-"Don't worry about that, he can look after himself, and besides we are all here, he's safe inside the human realm." Yoshirou just nodded, passing by the confectionary shelf as he left the store.

Upon getting outside, Yoshirou noticed a bunch of high school students running past, as if they were late for school. Yoshirou was just about to ignore it, when one of them suddenly stopped, turning to him. "Hey tall guy! You have those weird black robes on as well! Are you working with afro-jii-san? When's that movie you guys are making going to be out?" **Afro-jii-san?** Yoshirou wondered as he looked surprised at the human who was staring at him, as if such an occurrence was normal for him. However, the man's answer didn't get answered as a woman ran back, punching him on the head as she shouted-"Keigo, stop annoying random people and get running! We're going to be late for first period!" **Wait, she can see me too**? Yoshirou wondered as the boy called Keigo turned about, cradling a massive lump on his head as he whined-"Tatsuki, you should really take anger management classes." "I'LL GIVE YOU ANGER MANAGEMENT IF YOU MAKE US LATE!"-the girl named Tatsuki threatened, raising her fist again. Keigo yelped before continuing to run back down the street with the rest of the school crowd.

"Tch, he's so annoying…"-Tatsuki said as she turned back to Yoshirou. "Sorry for wasting your time, have fun going about whatever you guys seem to do."-she said apologetically, before running to catch up with the rest of the guys. **I don't pity that guy **Yoshirou thought as he started walking again. **I'm surprised that no sooner than I go out, I start seeing humans with spiritual awareness, it was rare years ago, how come I suddenly meet a pair when I just go about the street? Scratch that, Inoue and Chad, even Kurosaki were all plain humans but had spiritual powers of their own, what the hell's happening in this town? I thought the weird occurrence of stronger hollows in this area was a problem, but a huge increase in spiritually aware humans too?**

_I don't know, but the spiritually aware humans are a pretty recent development, or there would have been more reports on it. Whatever the hollow attacks are, I'm sure Soul Society will know more._

**Yeah** Yoshirou thought as he walked onto a more open street. Looking about, he saw no traffic was coming, and it seemed no humans were walking about either. **Right, this is okay** Yoshirou thought as he drew his zanpakuto. Channelling his reiatsu into the blade, he stabbed forward with the sword, concentrating on the miniscule gaps within the air that belied the presence of another dimension, only noticeable to Shinigami. His zanpakuto stabbed forward, disappearing up to halfway along the blade into nothing. He then twisted the blade, the general signal for unlocking. Before him the air distorted into a swirl about his blade, before turning into a full square of light. Drawing his zanpakuto back and sheathing it, Yoshirou watched as a set of partition doors appeared in the air before him. These opened, alongside another circular set behind them to show a white portal.

As he watched, a hell butterfly floated out, attracted by his reiatsu signature when he opened the portal. It flapped lazily in the air before him, before suddenly turning about, slowly flying back into the portal and back towards the location it had been summoned from. Yoshirou followed the flying butterfly back into the portal, sensing the partition doors shut behind him. He followed the butterfly through the pure, bright nothingness (1). It didn't take too long, only about five minutes, less time than it took to go through the Dangai realm. He soon enough found himself entering back into Soul Society. He was glad that he appeared from the informal Senkaimon atop of the Soukyoku hills, normally he would have had to go through loads of checks for returning, but it seemed he had been purposefully diverted to this hill. **Does Yamamoto not want it commonly known I was on a mission to the real world? **Yoshirou mused as he stretched; glad to be back in Soul Society. The hell butterfly that had guided him started to fly away, but Yoshirou this time put his hand out towards the butterfly. The butterfly diverted its course, responding to his summons (2).

The butterfly settled on his hand, flattening its wings as it waited for whatever charge Yoshirou would give it. "Message to be delivered directly to the Sou Taichou of the Gotei 13 under the authority of Yoshirou Kenshin, Captain of the Kido Corps."-Yoshirou enunciated clearly to the butterfly, it flapped its wings once to acknowledge that it would deliver this message. **It seems Yamamoto has made my post official, normally you would need to be a Captain to give any direct message to the Sou Taichou by hell butterfly.** Yoshirou thought as he planned a polite way to put his message. "Contact was made with the correspondents of the Ryoka in the real world, they have expressed that they are willing to ally with Soul Society, and will need a method to contact Soul Society directly to discuss further plans."-Yoshirou stated, carefully pronouncing the message to the butterfly. Yoshirou could sense the words played back to him by the magic within the little creature as it tried to confirm his message. "Confirmed"-Yoshirou said, as he lifted his hand up into the air, prompting the creature to take to the sky. As he watched, the butterfly seemed to orbit him once, before flying away in the general direction of the Squad 1 barracks.

**Well, that's the message delivered** Yoshirou thought as he looked about the hill. **Well, there's still loads of time to be doing stuff, so what to do… ah yeah, you mentioned a breakthrough in Bankai ideas Taiyou?**

_Yes, I have decided upon what test can be used to prove your strength to me. But first, we are going to need a secluded area to work within, preferably one where nobody will interrupt. Also, you're going to have to be ready, whatever happens in this test will be a gruelling challenge, and not one to be taken lightly._

**Hmm, don't worry I'm not making light of whatever this test will be.** Yoshirou reassured his zanpakuto as he mentally leafed through different places that he could train. He immediately decided against his own barracks, too many people could interfere there, and he didn't fancy having to pay for any repairs that might be necessary. When a person reaches his kind of strength, any kind of training would start affecting the area they worked in. He contemplated using the usual place where he trained with Soi Fon, but decided against that too. Soi Fon had said it was her retreat from stressful work, so it would be rude to commandeer it for his own use. As Yoshirou thought about it, he suddenly realised what would be the perfect place, almost slapping himself for not thinking of it faster.

There was a place where at least three, if not four people had already trained and gained their Bankai's at, and it was relatively secluded, only one other person currently in Soul Society knew of it's location, and Renji was playing housekeeper for Byakuya, so he wouldn't get in the way. Yoruichi's training cavern. **Only problem is that if I make a mess, Yoruichi will kill me** Yoshirou thought as he weighed the risk from Yoruichi against the benefits of using the cavern. Deciding on the latter being the better case, he quickly ran to the edge of the plateau, diving off as he headed towards his destination.

(10 minutes later)

Yoshirou was jumping through the air as he searched the mountainside for the hideout. However, after looking up and down the surrounding area three times, he was starting to feel thoroughly confused. I'm sure it was here Yoshirou thought as he jumped onto the rocky outcrop that he thought used to be the entrance to the hideout. Putting his hand forward, he touched the rock face, unsure as to why he couldn't find the entrance. However, touching the rock face solved his problem immediately as he sensed the reiatsu beneath his palms**. Ah, a barrier spell?** Yoshirou thought as he ran his hands over the illusion of rocks before him.** It's a damn convincing one too, I only realised it because I can sense reiatsu easier than most.** Yoshirou admired. **It's probably pretty effective at keeping people out too; I'm not going to be able to train here… **Yoshirou realized as he turned away from the rocks.

_Well try unlocking the barrier. If Yoruichi put this up, it's probably got some of her reiatsu in it; you can manipulate techniques used by the Shihoin Kido user's right?_

**Well, that was a family sigil, I doubt it would work on general Kido** Yoshirou thought. However, he took his zanpakuto's suggestion, placing his hands upon the wall again; he started to let his reiatsu flow into the barrier. Much to his surprise, the spell dissipated under his hands, his dispelling working perfectly. **Holy…this really is starting to freak me out now; I can unravel Kido barriers just as long as the user was tied to the bloodline family? According to how Yamamoto said it, that means I can unravel Kido abilities used by about half of the existing shinigami within Soul Society, that's insane!** Yoshirou thought as he stared at his own hands. **I really don't know if this makes me some kind of monster or not, Yamamoto was right when he said my sense of the world about me will be warped if I learnt the truth… I'm almost wishing I never asked in the end…**

Almost?

Yoshirou grinned to himself; clenching his hands into fists as he thought **…well these abilities are kind of kick ass.**

*Sigh* Just like a little kid.

Just think of it as better than hating yourself. Yoshirou thought as he stepped into the cave area. The place had been cleaned up since he was last in there; all the supplies that were kept had been removed. Yoshirou realised that it didn't really matter; he would get into serious trouble if he suddenly disappeared for a few weeks to train, so it wasn't like he could stay in the cavern for a long time. Quickly locating the now repaired hatchway into the training area, he leapt down, landing within the lit training area once again. The place was an even worse mess than he remembered; Kurosaki had nearly levelled the cavern during his last day of Bankai training. **Well, if the mess is this bad already, I shouldn't get into much trouble with her.** Yoshirou thought as he walked further in, drawing his zanpakuto.

"Right, let's get started."-Yoshirou said to himself as he concentrated on his zanpakuto, willing the materialization of the spirit. It didn't take long for Taiyou to take her human form once again, although she didn't seem to be in a very good mood. She seemed to suddenly be filled with doubt, her face showing the anxieties. "Hey, what's wrong?"-Yoshirou asked as Taiyou started to pace about in a small circle, thinking to herself. She suddenly sighed, before saying-"I'm not too confident of what I've chosen now we are ready…I think this test might be a bit too much for you…" Yoshirou was surprised by the tone; it was rare that his zanpakuto showed any self doubt in its choices. Normally she was always the one making sure he made the right choice, assuaging his doubts, reassuring him that he made the right choice in the end. Yoshirou just said-"Well, if I'm not able to succeed at whatever test this is, what hope do I have against Aizen? It doesn't matter how hard it is, I'll do it."

Taiyou still looked uncertain, but stopped pacing. She drew in a breath, before saying-"Then if you're sure, let's begin." Yoshirou smiled slightly, before suddenly realising something. "Wait…I'm not going to have to fight you am I?"-Yoshirou wondered, unsure as to whether Taiyou actually could fight him or not. Taiyou shook her head, saying-"No, not me…" She then stepped forward, standing right in front of Yoshirou. Unsure as to what she meant by that, Yoshirou watched as she lightly placed a hand on his forehead. He was surprised when her hand started glowing, the glow transferring from her hand across to her body. Yoshirou then realised that the light had to have come from him, whatever it was. Confused, he watched as Taiyou raised her other arm, the light departing from it to form a silhouette before her.

"This is what you will fight."-Taiyou said as she stepped away. "Also, since I have been materialized, you cannot utilise my Shikai during this fight, you must defeat this under your own power, your own strength." **Wait, without my Shikai?** Yoshirou thought, surprised by the sudden development as the light started to take a more definite form, vaguely human like. **I see why she said it will be hard; most of my strength relies on my Shikai skills, without it, my Kido is weakened, and my Zanjutsu crashes down to a very low level.** Yoshirou summarized, trying to think of way's to compensate as the light continued to morph before him, now taking a definite human form. **I still have Hakuda and Hoho, and even without my Shikai I have my sealed katana. **Yoshirou thought, but then quickly realised the humanoid form he was facing also sported a sword of its own, meaning that things were going to be even harder.

**Indeed not an easy test. But what…** Yoshirou continued to think, but suddenly halted in shock, the light before him finishing its reforming. **No…** Yoshirou thought in shock as the light started to take definite colours, a black shihakshou, a Haori above it, within its hand a zanpakuto. Yoshirou raised his own zanpakuto before him, suddenly now very serious, realising just what Taiyou meant by saying this was not going to be easy. **I can't believe this is what she meant by her test…!** Yoshirou thought as the form before him stood a little straighter, looking at him with a small calm smile on its face. **The brown hair, the exact height…and the glasses that he wore too…before he betrayed us…**Yoshirou thought angrily as standing before him, the form of Aizen smiled as it said-"Good evening, Yoshirou-kun."

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**Well, sorry if the test sounds corny, it's basicly a memory form of Aizen from Yoshirou's own mind. IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE! This copy Aizen will not have the same capabilities as the real Aizen, it's abilities are limited by how Yoshirou remembers him, it also still has it's old, kind attitude since most of Yoshirou's memories see him that way. Also the form's intent does not match Aizen's own, it's a test, not an attempt to kill him (no promises that doesn't happen though, I wonder what I would do if I killed my main charecter by pure accident? Is that even possible? I really don't know XP). Still struggling to finalise the Bankai, but i'm afraid it's unlikely to be shown before the winter war. If he trains with it, he will probably be off page. I eventually figured out a system that might allow me to get away with god modding it, since i'm trying to be fair with my charecter, an elemental Bankai time out system, alike to how Hitsugaya his a time limit, but harsher, he won't be able to hold Bankai for longer than 5 minutes once he has first attained it until he trains more with it, that will also explain why it wont be used till the Winter War, since he will need to train to improve the time limit.**

**Oh yeah, explanations for numbers (self thought up, they may actually be the right ones, I don't know lol)**

**(1) In my story, when your guided by hell butterfly, rather than go through the Dangai like the Ryoka did, you instead walk through a different, much calmer dimension, just pure white as you follow the butterfly. The butterfly is drawn dually towards your reiatsu and the location it heads for, so it moves towards the portal, but will follow you if you take a different direction until you follow the path it wants' again.**

**(2) Another bit I decided, hell butterfly's respond to individuals with high spiritual reiatsu. If they don't already have a task to do, then any person who puts a hand out who has significant enough spiritual reiatsu can literally summon a hell butterfly to them. However, they must literally be of VC rank or higher, weaker shinigami can't summon hell butterfly to them, that's why poor Rikichi has such trouble with them, since he's too weak to summon them to him, he must capture them with nets and other tools.**


	5. Chapter 5 Bankai Training Begins

**Well, new chapter out! Chapters are probably going to be roughly about 5000 or less words now on, until I get to the really good bits of the story. Anyhow, continuing where the last chapter left off, Bankai training commences! (Oh, for those who think "Renji got his in 1 day when his sword materialised", don't forget Taiyoukousen isn't exactly normal, so I get some leeway in how this one goes XP)**

**Also, hello to Experiment Kraj! Getting more fans now all of a sudden, and I am really gratefull for it! Thanks for all who decide to favourite or review on my story, all apreciation helps me work harder lol!**

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"How come I'm fighting Aizen?"-Yoshirou asked incredulously as he faced off against the foe before him, still not able to believe what was standing before him. "This isn't Aizen, it's a image of your inner doubts, what is obstructing you from proceeding. It takes the form of Aizen because he was the one who has left the strongest imprint on your thoughts. You have to defeat him in order to overcome what is stopping you from becoming stronger."-Taiyou explained as Aizen waited below, patiently waiting for the conversation to end. "Well that's brilliant, a test where the foe is a person I couldn't beat, how in hell is this going to work…"-Yoshirou said to himself quietly, before taking a deep breath. **It can't be an impossible test, there's no point in that** he thought as he readied his katana. **First thing is to find out how strong this copy is.**

Aizen across the way seemed to sense that it was time to begin. Rather unlike how he had previously, the foe seemed to take a defensive stance, waiting for Yoshirou to make the first blow. Yoshirou decided not to disappoint. Bracing hard off the rocks, he leapt forward, the pebbles crushed under his foot. Closing the gap with the one leap, his sword brought down at full force towards Aizen. Aizen simply smiled, raising his own katana up to meet Yoshirou's strike. The blades connected with incredible force, the ground below Aizen cracking from absorbing the force of the clash. However, Aizen's sword barely moved, Yoshirou's strike had done nothing to move the blade down. **Shit, he's strong just like Aizen!** Yoshirou thought in surprise. The copy simply swung its blade, breaking the contact as Yoshirou was sent flying back. Twisting in midair, Yoshirou hit off the ground with his palm, back flipping again to try and lose some of the momentum from the copies simple strike. Landing on his feet, he looked up at the copy, still standing there as if waiting for him.

However, that was misleading as Yoshirou suddenly realised the foe was right in front of him. **Shunpo!** He thought as he dodged aside from the stabbing blade aimed at his chest. Using his own shunpo to try and buy some distance, Yoshirou tried to reassess the situation. However, it was difficult to think since Aizen proceeded to follow every step he took, attacking again and again. As Yoshirou continued to try and get some distance, he realised that the clone was holding back. **Assuming it has all of Aizen's capabilities… **Yoshirou thought as he tried to block the incoming sword, his arms nearly buckling under the huge pressure from the copies blade **…why is it using simple attacks…** he continued, ducking under the following slash** …when Aizen could do much more? **Suddenly, the clone reversed the last strike, forcing Yoshirou to hastily try and block it. His footing wasn't good enough for the sudden attempt to block the powerful blow, he was sent rocketing across the cavern from the force, smashing bodily into a boulder.

Yoshirou tried to clear his thoughts as the disorientation from the sudden blow struck him, as well as the pain in his back from the impact. Looking up from where he was trapped within the rubble, he could see that the clone had once again stopped to wait for him, an easy smile across its face. **Shit, it doesn't matter if it's holding back or not, I don't have a hope of matching it like this!** Yoshirou realised as he broke free of the boulder. He used shunpo to move behind it, out of the clone's sight as he intoned "Hado no. 33, Soukatsui!" Before him, a wall of fire blasted through the boulder, melting it instantly as it closed in on its enemy. However, Yoshirou sensed a pulse of reiatsu from the clone, and on instinct threw himself aside. No sooner than he did, he heard Aizen's voice call out "Hado no.04, Byakurai." Right where he was standing a beam of lightening crossed the air. **Byakurai? But that was damn powerful!** Yoshirou thought as he tumbled, getting his footing back. Looking at the clone, he saw that the spell had dissipated his own with its force, leaving the Aizen clone untouched. This time the clone slowly started to walk forward, as if slowly stalking its foe.

Yoshirou drew himself back up again, trying to relax his tensed muscles. He knew what was wrong immediately, he was afraid. He hadn't faced a foe that could so easily overpower him, who he knew, would kill him when it had any chance. This copy was only a guise of that person, but he was still dramatically affected. Even as he readied for the next clash, he heard a rattling, his over tense muscles were shaking his zanpakuto. The clone seemed to notice this too, pausing in its advance to simply watch him. **Calm down, calm down…** Yoshirou thought as he tried to relax, trying to bring his breathing back under control. After a few seconds, he started to get a better control upon his muscles. It wasn't perfect, but at least his katana was no longer rattling in his grip. He then started to pull on his reiatsu, preparing for the next clash.

Across the way, the Aizen copy seemed to sense he was ready to continue, slowly bringing it's zanpakuto about. Both clone and Yoshirou prepared themselves, before vanishing. Meeting in the middle of the distance, both copy and man clashed once again, Yoshirou this time pouring all of his reiatsu into the blow. He didn't succeed in breaking past Aizen's attack, but he stopped the blade aimed at him too. The clone's face still didn't change, smiling peacefully as it drew its blade back faster than Yoshirou could see, stabbing forward at Yoshirou's face. He tried to dodge the blade, but ended up getting sliced on the cheek regardless. Yoshirou brought his sword across the gap, but the copy had disappeared, the flat of its sword now resting on his shoulder. Yoshirou froze, looking at the blade tip as he realised the copy had gotten behind him without him noticing, and had already made a move that could be considered a killing blow if it had followed through. He used shunpo to escape, but as he did the clone turned the blade on his shoulder, the sword edge slicing through his shoulder instead as he ripped away, effectively doing the damage himself.

Yoshirou reappeared a distance away, now holding his injured shoulder. **Shit, I'm not going to be able to use that arm quite so well now** Yoshirou thought as he tried to use the arm, but the pain impeding it's movement time a fraction, and against a foe of this calibre, a fraction could mean death. He was glad to see that the cut was rather shallow, but then realised the copy must still be holding back then if it had a fatal blow available but only caught his left shoulder instead. **Well, it doesn't matter **Yoshirou realised as he stood again**. I can't overpower him anyway, so one hand is as good as two swinging the sword, and off hand Kido takes a delay anyway, so it won't change anything** Yoshirou thought as the copy swung it's sword down once again, the blood from his shoulder flying off the blade edge. The clone turned once again towards him, sword held at the ready. Yoshirou realised he was truly starting to get pissed off at his foe, it felt like he was both deathly afraid, yet furiously angry at his foe together and it was throwing off his ability to concentrate, making his moves slower. Trying to throw off the fear, he shouted out loud, starting to pull on his reiatsu as much as possible, the rocks about him started to break up from the force. Across the way, the Aizen clone seemed to respond in type, its own reiatsu starting to swirl about him as it once again started to close the gap. Once again, time froze for clone and man, before they cleared the gap simultaneously, clashing once again, the air distorting about them from the furious blows.

(P.O.V change)

As Yoshirou was doing his best to try and defeat the Aizen clone, Taiyou was watching the whole battle take place from a higher ledge, clear of the destruction that was being wreaked by the Kido and swordplay from below. **I knew it…** she thought as she watched time and again as Yoshirou tried to defeat his foe, effortlessly stopped and repulsed each time, wincing internally as the copy would injure him again and again. **This isn't going to work, he has no idea what this test is…** she thought as once again, the whole battle was enveloped in dust from the spells used, Yoshirou cursing as he tried to get clear of the cloud, pressed by his implacable foe**. If he keeps this up, it's just going to make it harder…** Taiyou thought. **We have more than enough time, but he's rushing it too fast, desperate to try and succeed… he doesn't even understand that it isn't strength that is needed to win this…**

Once again, another boulder exploded into rubble as a body flew into it, through it, and into the rock wall past it. She didn't like seeing him being battered by such a foe, but unless he could defeat this enemy, he had no chance against Aizen; as she saw it, better that he failed to gain Bankai and not face Aizen, than win easily and be killed by the real foe. **He probably won't forgive me for it if he fails, but that isn't my concern** Taiyou thought, the clashing of blades below ringing in her ears. **What he wants' to protect and what I want to protect aren't the same thing, if he hates me for it, then so be it** she concluded internally, although she prayed that it wouldn't come to this, she didn't know how she would take him hating her. Her entire purpose was to help and guide him, to protect him, but she didn't know how she would do that if this test turned him against her. **I just have to hope that he will figure out how to defeat this foe before it comes to that. **She thought as the dust cleared temporarily, revealing the two people clashing in the middle, each one trying to break past the other.

(6 Hours Later)

Yoshirou was on the floor, breathing heavily, a zanpakuto lain neatly over his throat. He was in an awful state, almost completely exhausted. It had been a rough endurance trial, no matter what he tried; the clone would effortlessly stop his attack, countering easily. Yoshirou couldn't count the amount of times the copy had held his life in it's hand as it's zanpakuto laid over a vital spot, the killing blow withheld for another strike, always shallow, but each one hurt worse than the majority of the wounds he had received during his time as a shinigami all added together. Each one was another strike that showed that he had barely escaped death again by the hands of a being holding him in contempt.

He was a mass of pain as it was; difficult to tell through the sheen of blood about his body just how many wound's he had received during this fight, his clothes and Haori both shredded to non recognition. His foe had been relentless, never tiring as it continued the drawn out fight, every move precisely and absolutely stopping Yoshirou's own. As it was, he felt he had found the real fight against Aizen easier than fighting this impassive clone before him. He had been able to at least hit Aizen, this copy stopped everything he did easily, countering with a precision that he would have found impressive, had it not been used against him. However, he had kept getting back up, trying to defeat the clone no matter what it required, used nearly every tactic he could think of, but nothing had worked.

Now he was stuck on the floor, unsure if he even had enough energy to get back up, let alone fight the copy once again. It was a complete defeat; to him it felt worse than losing to the real Aizen. Aizen had managed to catch him unawares, Yoshirou had no clue that there was a method to disrupt the Hi-Kiwa blade edge, but Aizen did and used it against him with an almost fatal response. However, this copy would best him no matter what he tried, and he just couldn't understand how he was supposed to win.

Above him, the clone drew its blade back. Yoshirou tried to get up, to avoid the blow, but failed. However, the clone suddenly decided to not hit him, instead stabbing the katana deep into the rock beside Yoshirou's head. The clone left the katana quivering there as it stood straight, looking down upon his face. "Why?"-it asked, a perfect copy of Aizen's own voice postulating the question. "Why do you fight, Yoshirou-kun?"

"Because I must defeat you, so I can become strong enough to protect everyone!"-Yoshirou spat back, staring up at the clones face. "No, that isn't it. You aren't fighting to protect anybody, who do I threaten but you?"-the clone asked simply. Yoshirou was confused by the way the clone had said that. "It's not you who I must protect against, it's the real Aizen."-Yoshirou answered. "And I resemble him because he is your foe. He is who you aim to defeat to protect everyone, correct?"-the copy said, its smile now lost upon its face, it seemed to take a serious expression. "Yes."-Yoshirou answered, still unsure as to where the clone was going with this. "So you fear him, and feel you are weaker than him, so you need this Bankai to defeat him?"-the clone asked quietly. Yoshirou thought for a second before saying-"Yea, I need a Bankai to defeat him; I'm not strong enough to do so."

The clone turned around upon hearing these last words, walking away from Yoshirou. Yoshirou was slightly blinded as the sword beside his face changed into light. The clone that was walking away also started to glow, transforming back into light. However, before it disappeared, it said "You will never defeat me like this, give up on attaining your Bankai." Yoshirou stared at where the apparition had been, surprised at its words. **Give up on attaining Bankai?** Yoshirou thought as he saw Taiyou slowly approaching from the distance. **I can't, I need my Bankai in order to defeat Aizen!** Yoshirou thought as he struggled once again to stand. Taiyou reached him by that point, offering her hand to help him up. Yoshirou took it, surprised by the strength Taiyou had to lift him to his feet. Swaying slightly where he stood, he asked-"How come it could talk?" Taiyou started slightly upon being spoken too, almost as though she hadn't expected him to talk to her. "It is an apparition of what you need in order to prove yourself, as such it can do everything a normal person can, although it's only purpose is to test you."

Yoshirou nodded to himself, still thinking on how the fight had gone. **Well, it would have been stupid to think I could do it in one go, but I didn't expect it to be that difficult, I didn't even make any progress today at all, all I've got is far too many cuts.** As he thought this, he could still feel the pain in his body, very sharp for such shallow wounds. **Well of course it would be he** thought as he tried to summon his reiatsu to heal the wounds.** I** **haven't really felt wound pains since I attained my Shikai, Taiyou's always stopped the pain from most of my wounds, I forgot just how distracting it is trying to fight while your muscles are in such pain. **As he looked at his hands, he realised that he just didn't have enough reiatsu left to attempt healing himself. Stopping his attempts, he thought **Great, now what am I going to do? I can't leave here tonight; I don't think I could make it back in one piece trying to traverse these areas when I'm having trouble standing up.** He continued to think about what he was supposed to do for a while.

Unknown to him, Taiyou was assuming his silence as something else, that he was indeed frustrated at what had happened. Yoshirou picked up on the slight change in her reiatsu, realising that she was troubled as well. "What's up?"-Yoshirou asked, making Taiyou jump a second time. "Well, I know I said this trial would be difficult, but it may be that you cannot succeed at this. I'm sorry for making the trial like this…" However, Yoshirou just laughed at her, before suddenly cutting off, the action having aggravated the wounds on his body. "C'mon, I already half guessed that it wouldn't go that easy. And anyway, I'm aiming to beat Aizen, so I will succeed at this; a doppelganger isn't going to stop me."-Yoshirou explained. Although internally, he disliked the way that the trial pitted him against a clone of his enemy, he also knew that it was necessary if he wanted to defeat the real thing.

Taiyou seemed to relax upon hearing his reassuring tone. "Well, you're going to need to rest anyway if you still intend to continue. Your probably fully out of reiatsu, but until you've succeeded, if you don't mind I'm going to keep materialized." Yoshirou was surprised at the proposal. "It's just that if you keep accustomed to my abilities, defeating this clone will only take longer. You have to learn to fight without leaning on me; if you can do that then you can become much stronger even without learning your Bankai."-Taiyou explained. Yoshirou nodded, agreeing with her idea, before realising something. "Hey, this place has that weird pool that heals wounds right? Well, although there are lots of them, these wounds are shallow ones; I could probably use the pool to restore myself in the afternoons of my training time."-he explained, pulling off what was left of his destroyed Shihakshou as he headed towards the pool.

However, upon reaching the pool and stepping in, he realised something. His clothes were half destroyed, while he had no real inhabitation of training like that, it was going to be troublesome going throughout Soul Society, after all any shinigami would balk at seeing a Captain in tatters, he could start a panic by accident. However, he couldn't think of any ways to get about the problem, after all he had deliberately come here in secret, so he would have to figure out a way to get back into Seireitei without being seen. **Well, I could use Kyokko to hide myself until I get what supplies I need, but I can't use shunpo while under the effects. **Yoshirou mused as he heard Taiyou approach from nearby. "I thought you're supposed to enjoy hot springs, but you look even more troubled now than earlier."-Taiyou noted as she kneeled down by the edge of the pool. "I just realised that my clothes are scrapped, getting new ones will be rather difficult."-Yoshirou explained.

Taiyou looked at him in surprise, before breaking out in laughter. "You just come out of a 6 hour long fight, and all you can think about is that your clothes are ruined?" Yoshirou laughed as well, although he didn't reply. In his own thoughts, he was still musing over the fight, but it was better that he acted like it didn't really matter. He felt his body itching, and as he looked at his wounds, he saw them slowly starting to heal. He leaned back against the wall, starting to feel drowsy from the combined exhaustion and the heat from the spring. **Well, I suppose I will just have to do everything to beat it tomorrow, I just hope this goes well. Although we probably have a lot of time before Aizen is ready to even make his move, I will need time to perfect the Bankai using as well. Kurosaki may have mastered his pretty much immediately, but that's unlikely to be the same for me. Oh well, let's see how it goes…**

(3 weeks time) (P.O.V change.)

A person in white robes walked along a corridor, footsteps beating out a marching pace as he continued towards the meeting he was summoned for. As he walked, there was no curiosity towards why he was summoned, no doubts as to what his superior intended. It was simple, he would do whatever he was ordered by that man, and he would not fail in his objective, nothing else mattered past that. As he continued, he eventually reached the room that he was heading for, a massive chamber with a raised podium at the other end. He could see three people were already waiting for him.

He walked forward, straight at the raised podium. Standing before the podium, the first two men watched his approach, one with a face that belied no emotion, another with a strange curiosity in it's features. That wasn't of his concern though, what he was watching was the last man, seated comfortable on the throne atop the podium, a glass of some red wine held lightly in his fingers. He stopped as he reached the podium, falling to one knee as he addressed the man before him. "I have come, Aizen-sama." Aizen smiled slightly as he beheld the being before him, one of the greatest of the hollow that he had seen awakening into its true arrancar form. "Good evening, Ulquiorra."

Beside Ulquiorra, Tosen addressed the arrancar. "Aizen-sama has a new mission for you; you are to go to the human realm on a scouting mission. Your task is simple, to attempt the locating of two individuals within the real world. Your first target is the Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo. You will recognise him easily, as he has orange hair, and a black Bankai. You are to assess his development and to assess whether he is a risk or not, but you are not to kill him. You will also have another target, although he will be harder to identify. Your second target is the Shinigami Yoshirou Kenshin. He may have changed his appearance, so there is only one way you will readily identify him, his zanpakuto has light manipulation abilities."

Ulquiorra nodded, before asking-"What shall I do upon identifying the second target?" Tosen just said-"Your priority is the locating of target one and your mission regarding him. If you make contact with target two, then retreat immediately. The same goes for encountering any Captain rank foes, including former Shinigami's Yoruichi Shihoin and Urahara Kisuke. You are allowed to deal with any other obstacles at your own digression. If you fail to encounter the second target before you meet with Captain rank opposition, it does not matter. Regarding Yoshirou Kenshin, your reason for him being a target is to identify whether he is stationed within the human realm or not."

Ulquirra accepted the charge, no curiosity within him regarding why he had standing orders to retreat from his second target. He stood once more, bowing to Aizen, before turning to leave. As he left the hall, he discovered there had been an eavesdropper on the meeting. "Ullquiiiioraaa!"-a loud voice boomed out from the shadows of the entranceway. Ulquiorra turned about to see the person he had expected. A massive man stepped away from the shadows, a huge perpetual grin on his face as he approached the smaller man. "You heading out for the human world then? I'll come with ya!"-the big man said, walking to the smaller arrancar's side.

"Yammy, I require nobody to come with me to ensure this missions success."-Ulquiorra bluntly stated. "Aww c'mon, I need to get out of these stuffy halls, eat a few souls, you know something to try and get out of this place!"-Yammy declared, completely uncaring that just in the other room his three superiors could probably hear everything he shouted out. "I'll even help with the mission! After all, ya don't like having ta kill weaklings, and I'd love the excuse to go kill somebody!" Ulquiorra looked up at the massive arrancar with an expressionless face, before turning and continuing. Yammy smiled, knowing that the smaller arrancar had given up in trying to stop him from going along for the ride. Laughing out loud, he matched the pace of the arrancar as they continued along the white corridors.

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou was sitting in the mess hall of his barracks, taking a rest today from his gruelling regimen. He had succeeded in arranging a way that he could continue to train comfortably within the cavern, but unfortunately it had taken him to bump accidentally into Kira while he was invisible, ruining the spell and leaving her to shriek in surprise at seeing his slightly blood covered form. Regardless, after much explaining, Kira had agreed to get an amount of supplies for the cavern, after Yoshirou had revealed it's location to her. He was surprised to notice that she had started to learn shunpo as well; it seemed her lessons with the twins were going well enough that they had moved onto new techniques for her.

The test was still not going all to well. He could tell that as he fought and trained at a gruelling pace, his strength was increasing slowly but surely. He also found much to his dislike that the sealing bands were no longer containing his reiatsu perfectly; his reiatsu total had simply grown to the point that it was noticeable under the sealing effect even when it was reduced to 20%. However, no matter how much stronger he felt he was getting; the clone simply was still too strong. He was almost sure that the clone was actually developing at the same pace as he was, but it didn't matter all too much. He had also started to learn a new ability with Taiyou as well for his Shikai. It was hard learning because whatever the technique was, it consumed vast amounts of reiatsu to activate, even in its imperfect form he couldn't risk using it more than six times, although Taiyou insisted that as he became stronger, the amount of times he could use it would increase. It seemed to be a perfect crescent wave that fired whenever he swung the sword outwards, spreading into a wide effect. It had the same cutting effect as the other technique his sword used, and greater range and hitting area, along with much more force behind it, but the trade off in reiatsu cost was humongous. He found using the 88th Hado easier than that, something that he couldn't quite understand.

He had been forced to take one day off as he found that hell butterflies seemed able to locate the cavern even if nobody else knew of its location. He had barely prepared to begin when the butterfly flew in, with a request from Unohana. He had spent the entire day working with her in the Relief Station, her constantly observing his work and correcting where necessary. She had even taught him a new skill that he had found surprisingly ideal, an enhanced regeneration technique that massively boosted regeneration over a set time according to how much reiatsu was invested. He had already considered how he could use this both in medical and combat, he had even tested it out against the clone enemy, but it seemed to only make the clone cut him worse, making him abandon the attempt in future fights against his new nemesis.

He was still unsure about just what he was doing wrong, no matter what he tried; the foe would beat him back cleanly, never giving him a serious wound, seemingly torturing him. And every time, it would say the same thing. "You will never defeat me like this, give up on attaining your Bankai."-Yoshirou repeated to himself quietly. He first thought that he perhaps had to show his commitment towards doing this, but the clone showed no weakness even though he never gave up. He then wondered whether it was the fear of Aizen that was stopping him. He did everything to try and suppress the fear, but still the clone was undefeatable.

He continued to muse over this as a hell butterfly flew into the mess hall, meandering about the collective heads of the lower ranked members who were also in the hall with him. He stopped balancing his chair off two legs as the butterfly approached him. As it touched his hand, he sensed the message. "General emergency, all Captains are to report to the Squad 1 Barracks effective immediately, arrancar incursion into the human realm has been detected."

* * *

**Well chapter over. Unlike Kurosaki's training foe, defeating the Aizen doppleganger will not be done by him becoming strong enough to do so like Kurosaki did against Zangetsu, it requires mental work in order to do so. Perhaps you guys can guess what it is, perhaps not. However, it probably won't be long until he figures it out, I know how he's going to, but that will need you guys to wait until that chapter to find out how.**

**Anyhow, I really don't know if i'm keeping to the correct timeline here, this was merely an estimate of what time it would be. The manga doesn't have a definite timeline, and the anime is even worse due to it's filler arcs messing up it's timeline. Let's just say ignore the timelines if their wrong, everything will happen in the correct order, just figuring out the right timings will be difficult.**

**When Yoshirou uses the new technique in real battle, i'll give it a name then, and give it it's charecteristics on Yoshirou's battle data, reposting that data so that you can tell it out. The same will happen once Bankai is attained (but that will take a lot of work, even i'm not sure how to describe his full Bankai, it's going to take some time lol.)**

**Anyhow, seeya all next Chapter! Review and favourite if you want!**


	6. Chapter 6 Arrancar Research

**Heyo, sorry about slow updating, things are getting rather busy in my place. There may be a hiatus for a while, being dragged on holiday to the worst place ever since my parents are being cheapskates -.- who on earth wants to go to live in a camperwagon in Blackpool and be told their not even going to go to the fun place, just seeing reletives? How in hell is that a holiday?**

**Anyhow, forwarning, sorry about what will be a sucky start to this chapter, had big plans which were all butchered when I read an old review warning me about butterfly effects. I realised I couldn't have my main dude present in the initial arrancar encounter, which sucks -.-. Still, he will be in the next encounter, duking it out with Grimmjow after Kurosaki gets his ass handed to him, look forward to that! I also realised i'm doing a lot of Ulquiorra P.O.V bits 0.0, I might have to develop some more interesting stuff for him to do since the storyline is slowly changing, I dunno, it's all up in the air atm.**

**Anyhow, have fun reading!**

**And hello to Faustian5! Thanks for the review as well!**

* * *

Yoshirou was unsure as to what the message had meant as he arrived at the Captains hall within the 1st squad. He had read in Tessai's reports on hollowification of the term arrancar, but there had been very few notes on the subject, perhaps reflecting the man's lack of knowledge on the subject as well. The one thing he knew was that it meant a mask less hollow, one which had attained shinigami powers. Along the way to the Captains hall, he had suddenly remembered the entity hidden within Kurosaki, a hollow personality that was part of the man's body as well. He knew from what he had heard from Rukia that the boy had gained his shinigami powers as a human, but why that meant he had a hollow inside him was beyond Yoshirou's understanding.

However, he stopped his musing as he entered the hall. Inside the majority of the Captains had already assembled. The Sou Taichou was on his seat as usual, Mayuri, Hitsugaya, Soi Fon, Kyoraku, Unohana and Hitsugaya also present, standing in rows waiting for the rest of the Captains to finish assembling. The taut expression on everyone's face made Yoshirou aware that whatever had happened was definitely an emergency. As he stepped into the hall, a shadow appeared over him as Komamura also arrived, waiting for him to finish entering the hall. He took his place beside Kyoraku and waited. A minute later and he realised the last missing Captains, Ukitake and Kenpachi, mustn't be coming. He could understand Ukitake's absence, he was probably down with his illness, but Kenpachi missing was a surprise, he would have expected the battle mad Captain to have arrived at the hint of a fresh fight.

**Then again, he could have just gotten confused by the term arrancar and decided it wasn't worth it** Yoshirou thought as the doors were closed automatically. Immediately, everybody's attention turned to the Sou Taichou.

"As of one hour ago, two reiatsu signatures were detected in the Human Realm, and have been confirmed as Arrancar's. These arrancar are beyond what we had predicted, and are of formidable strength. Why we have suddenly seen the presence of such complete arrancar are due to the machinations of Aizen. It was believed that the Hougyoku would not be useable before the half a year charging cycle, but it seems he has awoken it temporarily early in order to create his army."-the Sou Taichou announced. Everybody seemed shocked by the terms used; an army, complete arrancar. Yoshirou was half confused by the difference between complete and incomplete arrancar, but the serious tone of the Sou Taichou meant that this was indeed a problem. Yoshirou noted that the only person who didn't seem surprised was Mayuri, he actually seemed rather excited.

The Sou Taichou continued, saying-"This now confirms it, Aizen's target is indeed Karakura Town. The arrancar attack has already been repelled due to the actions of the town's residents." **You mean Urahara and Yoruichi** Yoshirou noted internally. "But it is highly likely that there will be another attack made in the real world. As such it is decided that there will be a relief team sent immediately to be stationed within the human realm. This team will need to be ready to combat the Arrancar effective immediately. The candidates for the teams have already been chosen by me in order to prioritise a team that can work alongside the human realm forces. The last post is to the Captain that will command the team. Will there be any volunteers?"

Yoshirou wondered for a second about everything that was happening, he didn't understand about the whole arrancar bit, but he knew that this threat had to be a serious one. He raised his hand in order to volunteer. Looking about the room, he saw that two others had also chosen to volunteer, Hitsugaya and Byakuya. The sou taichou regarded those who were volunteering, before saying-"Kuchiki Byakuya, you may not volunteer for the team, your presence is required within Soul Society due to your position as the head of the Kuchiki clan. Regardless of the fact you already know that your sister has been chosen to be a part of the team, you may not come." Byakuya nodded slightly, before lowering his hand. Yoshirou half suspected the only reason why he didn't try arguing was because he had also chosen to volunteer, and he knew that Yoshirou wouldn't let any risk fall to Rukia.

However, that was suddenly changed when Mayuri spoke. "I would disagree with sending the new Captain in to lead the team." Yoshirou turned to look at the clown, expecting the Sou Taichou to ignore the words. "Much as you probably know, Aizen has shown too much interest in this boy, it would be literally giving him what he wants if we send him to the human realm now." Yoshirou actually stopped in surprise upon hearing this, Mayuri was actually making clear sense without any confusing terms thrown in. He disliked how his attempt to volunteer had been shot down in an instant, but Mayuri made sense. He grudgingly lowered his hand as well. With only one volunteer left, Yamamoto announced-"It is decided, Hitsugaya shall lead the relief team. You are to assemble your team and prepare to leave before the end of the day." Hitsugaya nodded stiffly at this. Yoshirou was actually surprised that Hitsugaya had also volunteered, but he put it down to the young captain being sick of doing nothing.

Yoshirou knew that Hitsugaya had suffered far worse than he had during the last few weeks. He had also been defeated by Aizen just like he, but unlike Yoshirou, Hitsugaya had failed to protect those he wanted to, twice. As far as what Hitsugaya had told him, he had even been forced to strike Hinamori to knock her out. Even now, she was still suffering, and there was nothing he could do. He's probably doing this as some kind of atonement for his successive failures Yoshirou realised.

"This meeting is now over."-Yamamoto declared rather abruptly. That's it? Yoshirou wondered as most of the other captains started to leave. However, he noticed that Mayuri seemed to be staying behind, alongside Hitsugaya. Undoubtedly Hitsugaya had questions regarding the mission he was to undertake, but Mayuri's presence seemed a bit strange. Wait… he's part of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, he probably was the one who detected the whole thing Yoshirou realised as he stepped out of the room. He quickly realised the rest of the Captains had already departed, leaving him alone.

Yoshirou thought for a second about what he could do now. He could just go back to his training, but this whole arrancar thing was niggling at him. He knew that the specialist to ask would have been Mayuri, but he neither could, nor would ask the man. He doubted he was exactly on friendly terms with the Captain, what with him threatening to attack him during the whole Ryoka incident. Also Yamamoto had already warned him to beware any of the man's machinations. **Oh well, I suppose it's back to training again.** Yoshirou thought as once more he prepared to go back to the cavern. **Taiyou, mind if I spend today finishing that technique you were teaching me instead of working on my Bankai?**

(P.O.V change)

Ulquiorra's head hurt slightly as the eye that he had just removed was regenerating. He was standing within a meeting room with the assembled arrancar of the Espada and their fraccions, with their master, Aizen and his subordinates also present. Beside Ulquiorra, Yammy was kneeling, badly injured from the struggle with both the boy Kurosaki ichigo and the fight with his rescuer, Yoruichi Shihoin. Even Ulquiorra hadn't escaped from the battle in the human realm perfectly; he had a slight burn on his hand from when he had to protect Yammy from the killing blow at the hands of Urahara Kisuke. If he hadn't chosen to retreat then, Yammy may have been killed as collateral damage; in his current state he wasn't ready to face such foes on equal grounds.

Back to the pain in his head, he had crushed his eye in order to allow those within the room to see the exact things the eye had seen, to be able to see what had happened in the Human Realm. It didn't take too long for the eye to start regenerating, but it took less time for everybody to finish viewing the recorded images in their own minds before the debriefing commenced. "I see…"-Aizen said quietly as he slowly opened his eyes. "So that's why you decided it wasn't worth killing him." Ulquiorra was slightly surprised at to Aizen's words, he hadn't been ordered to kill the boy. However, the look from Aizen said enough, and he replied-"Yes. Your orders were to kill him if he might become a problem." The almost imperceptible nod from Aizen told him that his reply was sufficient enough. It didn't concern Ulquiorra why he was lying now, in a way it was Aizen's desire that he deceived the other arrancar present, and he would play his part as ordered.

"That's stupid!"-An arrogant voice called out from behind him. Turning his head, Ulquiorra looked at the man who was being rude before Aizen, the blue hair rather obnoxiously prominent on the man. "I'd have killed that sorry punk with my first attack."-the man continued. "Grimmjow."-Ulquiorra stated, identifying the man who made the outburst and warning him to stop. Grimmjow continued unheeded-"It doesn't matter what type of logic you use. If the word kill appears in your orders, then it's obvious your supposed to go ahead and kill the person!" Behind Grimmjow, one of his fraccion concurred, saying-"I feel the same way. He's our enemy either way. Perhaps there's no reason to kill him, but there's no reason to let him live, either."

**Grimmjow would be the one to cause problems in a perfect plan** Ulquiorra thought. **A spanner in the works, a problem that I do not need. My orders were not to kill, but to test. It is Aizen's wish that you do not understand. **Ulquiorra concluded internally, although not betraying a word or emotion on his face. If Aizen for some reason wished the arrancar's present fooled, then he would not disappoint. "By the way, Yammy, you got your ass kicked huh? With you looking like that, it's more like you couldn't kill him rather than him not being worth killing!" Ulquiorra could feel the rage building in his injured partner beside him, although kept in check by the presence of Aizen. Surprisingly, Yammy quietly responded, although his fury barely veiled in the quiet tone-"Grimmjow, you bastard. Weren't you watching? The ones who beat me up were the guy in sandals and the black woman."

Grimmjow once again didn't take the hint, and responded arrogantly-"You just don't get it do ya? If it were me, I would have killed those two in one hit, too!" Yammy lost his restraint, standing up as he turned to shout at his accuser-"What did you say!" Ulquiorra, realising it was only going to be seconds before this descended into a blood bath, quickly moved, standing before Yammy as he put an arm out to block his progress. "Stop this."-Ulquiorra quietly told him, distracting Yammy from his target. Turning to Grimmjow, he stated-"Grimmjow, do you understand that this guy isn't a problem for us?" "Huh?"-Grimmjow called back, faking confusion to take the mick out of Ulquiorra's words. Ignoring this, Ulquiorra continued-"Aizen-sama isn't concerned about his current state, but rather his potential. He certainly has some decent latent abilities. However, it's very probably that they're so huge and unbalanced; he'll destroy himself if left alone. That's why I came back without killing him."

"And I'm saying that's stupid! What're you gonna do if he get's strong enough to take us on?" Ulquiorra was about to respond, but Aizen suddenly cut in just then. "Grimmjow, there is no need to concern yourself; I believe Ulquiorra's decision was fair." Grimmjow looked like he wanted to say something back, but stopped himself, he knew when he was treading dangerous waters, and being rude and directly questioning Aizen's decisions was definitely suicidal territory. Aizen smiled lightly as he continued-"Now, Ulquiorra, regarding your second target. I'm assuming you did not manage to locate the second threat, the shinigami Yoshirou Kenshin?" **Threat?** Ulquiorra thought, as he went through the orders he had received earlier mentally. There had been no warning that his opponent was a threat of any type, only a request to confirm whether he was located in the Human Realm or not. Ulquiorra realised this was another planned deception by Aizen, and answered-"No, I was unable to complete my mission regarding the target, there was too much attention drawn to us by that point to successfully engage the target."

"Your saying you failed to kill two shinigami? What kind of Espada are ya, Ulquiorra!"-Grimmjow called down from where he was sitting, now getting visibly pissed. "It doesn't matter how many get in your way, you kill and kill until you've done your orders! Unless your trying to tell me you're scared of all this fighting, are ya?"-Grimmjow shouted, trying to get an antagonised response from the unconcerned façade Ulquiorra had on. Ulquiorra stated-"My orders included orders to retreat before we gained too much attention from Soul Society, I could not take on the combined forces in the Human Realm to hunt for a target which may or may not be present in the Human Realm to begin with." Grimmjow laughed back at him derisively, also getting the support of other Espada and fraccion about the room. Ulquiorra noted that in particular, certain Espada had not joined in. About half of them refrained, more specifically the top three Espada present, although their respective fraccion did join in, or didn't according to the person. Ulquiorra had no doubt they had been forewarned of what would happen in the meeting today.

Aizen then raised his hand to calm down the collected voices. Almost immediately the entire chamber fell silent in the presence of the man. He then said-"Ulquiorra is once again correct, his decisions on the mission were precise and the required ones needed. I will hear no words against him for what he decided." At this multiple arrancar seemed to gulp, realising that Aizen was possibly angry with them for their derogatory attitudes. "Now Grimmjow…you seem anxious to deal with the potential threats within the Human Realm. I have no doubt this is a show from loyalty to help our cause, although your ways of going about it are perhaps…slightly brazen of you." As Ulquiorra could see, Grimmjow clenched his teeth at being talked down to, but didn't utter a word in response.

"However, if this is truly your wish, then I shall allow you to prove your loyalty as you wish. No doubt after the attention Ulquiorra brought in the Human Realm, our second target will have relocated there in order to protect the inhabitants of the town, he is that sort of man. Tomorrow, you may lead your fraccion into the real world, and attempt to remove the threat presented by both the boy substitute shinigami, and the shinigami Yoshirou Kenshin."-Grimmjow started to grin upon hearing this, apparently delighted that he was receiving orders to go about killing his enemies. Ulquiorra didn't betray his surprise, but he couldn't fully comprehend Aizen's aims. Quickly deciding this was a matter he need not try to understand, Ulquiorra listened as Aizen continued. "Tosen will accompany you in order to help you understand your targets; you are allowed full discretion as to what you do within the Human Realm." Grimmjow actually bowed at Aizen upon hearing this, hiding the insane grin that was spreading across his face. Ulquiorra knew why, *full discretion* was literally permission to go on a slaughter fest for the destructive arrancar. As Aizen rose, all of the collective Arrancar's stood as well. After Aizen departed, everybody started to file out, Grimmjow in particular laughing with an almost frenzy filled joy.

(Next day: About 16:00) (P.O.V change)

Yoshirou was taking a break from his training as he walked over to the water barrel that he had discovered two day's earlier. It seemed Urahara had created a big mechanism that allowed rain water to be collected and purified into drinking water and had installed it within the entrance cave to the training area. A rather ingenious invention, not in its complexity, but in the fact the collected water was the purest Yoshirou had tasted probably ever. Yoshirou had managed to just about finish learning his new technique, although he was surprised to discover the techniques true form drew even more reiatsu than before, not less like he had hoped. The resulting technique was indeed rather devastating, but so were a number of Yoshirou's other Kido techniques, some even more powerful.

The only advantage he could come up with was the relative speed he could use the technique, it took only a swing of his zanpakuto to activate, unlike his Kido which required time to pull out his reiatsu for the greater techniques. He had the advantage of not having to concentrate to pull his reiatsu out, Taiyou being able to do it for him while he fought. But time was still time, and this technique came out much faster, even if it did take nearly double the amount of reiatsu any of his other techniques took. Upon learning the name of the technique and mastering it, he was disturbed to find his maximum was four uses in one battle; it would have to be a last resort technique for emergencies.

However, this wasn't what he was thinking about, ever since the other day that he had heard the arrancar were the main threat, he had realised how inadequate his knowledge on them was. It was like a doubt that wouldn't stop niggling at his thoughts, he had seen all the other Captains knew more than he did, but he had put it down to him being restricted from the information as he had only just gained his rank. Deciding finally, he shouted down the hole leading down into the training cavern to get Taiyou's attention. Immediately Taiyou was beside him, he had discovered that she had every bit of his speed and power during the times she had been teaching him this technique, so her using shunpo to appear beside him didn't surprise him. "Hey Taiyou, I've been thinking about this whole arrancar thing, and now we've finished with this technique training, I'm going to try and learn more."-Yoshirou explained to Taiyou as she looked irritably at him, obviously annoyed that she was being summoned up here rather than continuing with the training.

"I thought you were leaving it off until you finished your Bankai training? You already know that the arrancar are rather formidable, I don't think you should plan to face them any time soon."-Taiyou said. Yoshirou raised his hands placidly as he smiled, joking-"I'm not planning to go hunting arrancars! It's just that not knowing is getting to be distracting, I'd rather get it over with now." Taiyou looked at him for a second, before sighing. "Is it really that distracting?"-Taiyou asked, although after seeing his face, she gave in. "Fine then! I thought you were pretty afraid of Mayuri, but if this distraction is enough to make you forget facing him, then lets go."-Taiyou said as she dematerialised, returning back to the zanpakuto. Yoshirou's face was actually now pretty worried as he realised if he did want to learn this, he would have to go through Mayuri. **Oh hell, let's just get it over with…** Yoshirou thought as he ran out the cave entrance, quickly restoring the barrier about the cave before shunpo'ing off in the general direction of the Squad 12 Barracks.

(1 Hour later) (Squad 12 Barracks)

After realising that he actually had no clue as to where the exact location of the Squad 12 barracks, after searching about for ages, Yoshirou was forced to ask directions off of a nervous shinigami from the 4th Squad. Luckily for him, it seemed this member had been made do work about the barracks in question, although judging from the faces he pulled as he tried to remember, it was not a nice experience. However, he succeeded at learning what he had to, and quickly located the barracks soon afterwards, just as the sun started to disappear. Oh great, I don't know whether they will even let me in now Yoshirou mused as he walked towards the barracks. He quickly spotted the secondary building, bigger and far more intricate than the barracks that represented the 12th squad's living quarters. Trust that scientist to put the research above his own men Yoshirou thought in distaste as he walked through the second archway, heading towards the massive building.

As he reached the building, he was surprised to find there was an office area before the building for visitors, something he had not guessed would have been there, and something that surprised him as being there. Then again, he probably didn't want unwanted people intruding Yoshirou thought as he opened the doors towards the office. Inside a female shinigami was writing notes on a sheet of information, totally oblivious to his presence**. A secretary?** Yoshirou thought as he watched her furious scribbling. After waiting a minute for her to notice him, Yoshirou coughed loudly, making the shinigami jump in surprise. "A-Ah, sorry!"-the girl said, standing up to greet him. Seeing his Haori, she bowed lower as she said-"You must be the new Captain, Kenshin-Taichou, correct?" **Oh crap, here comes the honorific's **Yoshirou thought as he rolled his eyes. Rather than say anything, he answered-"Yes, I'm here to try and learn some specific information I need."

The female looked up at him in surprise. "Well, normally I would advise you go to the Daireishokairo (1) for any kind of research required, but as you are a Captain, I'm sure that I can find somebody to assist you."-the secretary answered as she used some kind of device on the nearby desk. As Yoshirou waited, he watched the woman speaking into the device. However, he was surprised when seeing her expressions change. They seemed to go from curiosity, to alarm, to shock, and finally settling into a façade expression that looked rather obvious to be a fake expression. She turned to Yoshirou, saying in a monotonous voice-"If you can wait a few minutes, somebody will be here to see you."

However, no sooner had she said this then the doors were opened behind Yoshirou, and he felt a rather abnormal reiatsu come into the room. **What the hell?** Yoshirou thought as he turned, seeing a young woman standing there. He immediately spotted the insignia on her arm, revealing her to be more than just _*somebody to assist him*_ "K-Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou! Do you require some help?" the female secretary asked, unsure whether the Vice Captain was here generally, or here specifically for Yoshirou. **Wait, Kurotsuchi?** Yoshirou thought in confusion, looking at the woman before him. **But her reiatsu feels nothing alike to his, hell; her reiatsu feels completely off to begin with**! Yoshirou realized as the aforementioned Kurotsuchi walked forward, saying something quietly to the secretary. The secretary bowed, before getting back to her earlier work.

The woman turned to Yoshirou, before bowing. "Yoshirou, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Nemu Kurotsuchi, and my father has said that I am to be made at your disposal. I will help you in any way I can."-Nemu said, her voice quite close to monotonous too, although Yoshirou suspected this wasn't deliberate, but her normal voice. **Wait Father?** Yoshirou thought bemused as he responded-"Thanks, err is calling you Nemu alright?" Nemu nodded politely, before waiting for him to continue. **Put at my disposal indeed, she's waiting like a servant** Yoshirou thought as he once again tried to make conversation with the silent woman. "It's nice to hear somebody call me something other than Kenshin-Taichou, thanks." Once again, another nod, although this time she responded, saying-"After research and analysis was done on your conversation and linguistic patterns, it was determined that you seem most comfortable when somebody calls you by your given name. I simply used this in an attempt to put you at ease."

**And you ruined it by describing it all** Yoshirou thought, now slightly creeped out by her tone. **She needs to work on her people skills a bit.** "Well, I need some help in understanding arrancars, and I figured you guys would be able to help me the fastest."-Yoshirou explained. Nemu nodded as if this was the kind of request she had guessed would have been asked. Judging from how she had said his conversations had been researched, he didn't doubt she knew it for sure. She turned about, heading towards the door as she said "Please follow me." Yoshirou decided to abandon attempts at conversation, the woman clearly wasn't used to being talked too much. Instead, he started to wonder what exactly the woman was**. Now I focus, I can pick up parts of Mayuri's reiatsu in her body, completely alike to his in fact. It's not inherited in a bloodline state, it's more like his reiatsu was actually planted into the body. I don't know what she is, but his daughter she definitely isn't. It feels more like a Gikon radiance, but having it's own personality instead of a programmed one.**

**Wait, it could be she's like a modified version, a Kaizou Konpaku? Also, her body isn't a shinigami's either, probably a constructed Gigai, but why on earth did Mayuri make her?** Yoshirou wondered as they both walked through numerous corridors and rooms filled with various technology. Along the way he noticed that the typical people who worked here were most definitely not normal. One of them looked more like a frog than a shinigami, and another, with a nametag of Akon on his shirt, had horns on his head. **Jesus and I thought Nemu was a strange case** Yoshirou thought to himself. As he looked up before he left the room, he read Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab on the plaque above the door. **Wonder what goes on in there…** Yoshirou wondered as Nemu noticed he had slowed down.

She seemed to wait patiently at hand for him to finish his musing. Realising that he had gotten side tracked, Yoshirou apologized quickly before catching up to where she was. "There's no problem. Your reports said that you have a definitive curiosity for scientific study as well, so you may do as you wish."-Nemu said as she started to continue. Yoshirou laughed as he said-"You know, saying all that stuff about reports and studies really is a bit discomforting, no offense meant." Nemu turned about, giving him what he interpreted as a slightly surprised look. "My apologies, reports said… sorry, I thought that you were more comfortable with realistic explanations than comforting tones."-Nemu said, correcting herself halfway through. Yoshirou chuckled as he said-"I like sounding scientific to people who don't get it, it's like a personal joke since most of my squad don't have very impressive analytical skills." Nemu thought for a second, before carefully replying-"We didn't know about that, but this must be one of the abilities that make you ideal for Captain since you have both tactical ability and a relaxed tone. Perhaps I can try to assume such a personality myself."** Well, points for trying to change your tone** Yoshirou thought, before replying-"You don't copy people; you just learn and adjust yourself to make your own personality better."

Nemu kept silent as she apparently tried to make sense of his words. **Perhaps not the right kind of thing to say to Mayuri's subordinate** Yoshirou realized. **If she changes her personality because of this, Mayuri will most likely try and kill me for changing it away from what he prefers. Either that or he'll just wipe her memory, no doubt that crazy man could do it** Yoshirou realised as Nemu finally finished leading him to the location of her choice. Looking about, Yoshirou could see they were in a strange room. The opposite wall of the room was covered in pipes that looked like they had been swiped from an organ, with an impressive set of computers before it, the relay keyboard to the computer looking for all the world like a set of piano keys. As he watched, Nemu walked forward, expertly manipulating the key's to enter something into the console.

Yoshirou quickly realised after seeing numerous warnings, restricted file screens and assorted other computer defences pop up on the screens that he was looking at something he probably shouldn't be looking at. "Erm, Nemu, just what exactly is this?"-Yoshirou asked, walking closer to the screens. Nemu didn't look up from the screens, just saying-"Mayuri-sama's personal office." **Oh shit…**Yoshirou realised as he wondered whether being in here was a risk to his life or not. Nemu finished with whatever she had been at on the computer, before bringing up some data on the screens. She turned to Yoshirou, saying-"The screens have all the data you are looking for, I'm afraid your not allowed to try and manipulate the computer, since any unauthorised access will cause the room to lock down and fill with a poisonous gas to kill any intruders." Yoshirou immediately backed away from the screens, saying-"Am I really supposed to be doing this then?" Nemu nodded, saying-"Mayuri-sama ordered for me to be at your service, to do whatever is required to help your inquest. If you were not allowed to be in here, you would be dead from the room's defences already." Indicating the screens again, she said-"As long as you do not stray from what I have already accessed for you, there will be no problems."

After saying this, Nemu bowed before walking out of the room. Yoshirou was glad to see the doors didn't seal automatically when she left, he was free to leave the room if he wanted. **And go where? This place is a freakin maze **Yoshirou mused as he turned back to the screens. **Well, here's what I wanted anyway** Yoshirou thought as he started reading the first screens information.

_Arrancar, Full Arrancar, Pseudo-Arrancar, Ripped Mask, Mask less Hollow_

_A set of names to delegate to the collective specimens of hollows that have through their own power, damaged or removed their masks in order to evolve into a new state, combining the powers of their original hollow forms, alongside attaining new shinigami powers…_

(3 Hours later)

Yoshirou stretched as he finished reading the final lines on the last page. **Damn, for a few screens, that took a hell of a lot of reading **Yoshirou thought as he tried to get his muscles to work properly once again. He had discovered a long time ago that the screens were deceptive, there had to be some kind of sensor on the computer that detected when you had finished reading certain text, and automatically scrolled down. Rather than three large screens with information, it was more alike each screen had nearly its own database of information. The first had been all history, classification and other parts. The second was analysis, battle data, evolution and more. The final was predictions, recent observations, and interestingly enough, lots of data regarding the newest arrancar. Considering nobody had been present from the SRDI during the incursion, there was a lot of information, including approximations of maximum power.

The data on the being known as Ulquiorra Cifer was incredible, enough to even scare Yoshirou. It was analysed that had the arrancar chosen to fight when he made his incursion yesterday, there was a predicted 70% fatality rate for the Shinigami side, with only Urahara Kisuke predicted as having a decent chance of survival in the scenario. There was only a 60% predicted chance of victory against the arrancar alone, not including the second arrancar, and that was with the combined force of three Captain rank shinigami against him. **That's insane!** Yoshirou realised as he looked at the data, that one singular foe had a 40% chance of overcoming three of the most powerful members of Soul Societies forces, fighting them all at the same time.

Sighing irritably, Yoshirou finished the drink from the glass that Nemu had brought earlier, a rather odd concoction which apparently increased Reiatsu regeneration rate. Yoshirou had no clue how she had figured it out while he was still using his sealing bands, but he had exhausted a good amount of his reiatsu in the morning, finishing the technique training. The drink she had given him seemed to work wonders, a lot better than the fake medicine they gave the 4th squad as a joke, which apparently had taken the squad by storm even though it was nothing but a placebo. **Well, I just about know everything I'd need to know now **Yoshirou thought, he had even taken the time to mentally record all of the known techniques, and had made an internal list of skills he assumed they may have. There was no records of any speed techniques, but Yoshirou assumed that they would have created a unique skill that was alike to shunpo. Also he doubted that they would only be capable of Cero's, so they had to have a supplementary skill alongside that. Finally, they had zanpakuto, so he assumed they may even be capable of wielding shikai's or bankai's.

Behind him, he heard Nemu coming back into the room. "Was there any other requests you had?"-Nemu asked, deducing that he had finished his research. Yoshirou shook his head as he started towards the door. "Nope, that was about all."-Yoshirou said, standing near her as he waited to be hopefully guided back out of the maze. Nemu however didn't move. Instead she asked-"Did you encounter the Ryoka known as Ishida during the Ryoka incident?" Yoshirou stopped, wondering what she was asking about. Deciding it didn't really matter what information he divulged since the entire incident was forgiven, he answered-"Yep, quite a few times, but I'm sure Mayuri told you about how I fought with him." Nemu nodded, saying-"Mayuri-sama analyzed that you purposefully let the Ryoka go, although he didn't challenge you since you had both the advantage at hand, and your machinations suited his purpose at the time."

**Oh hell** Yoshirou realised, quickly revising his opinions about Mayuri's abilities. **He completely deduced my combat ability, my intentions and plans from a short encounter, where I was purposefully holding back, enough that he knew he couldn't take me head on? Fuck, that man's a lot scarier than I thought, and much more capable than I assumed.** Nemu watched his expressions for a few seconds, before continuing-"What I was intending to ask was that you had first hand experience at the condition of the Ryoka after his fight. I deduced that he may have somehow lost his abilities after the fight, but I didn't fully understand why. Mayuri-sama has no further interest in the Quincy, but I still desire to know exactly what happened with his power." Yoshirou was surprised by that. He had assumed from how she had acted that Nemu was entirely dependant on Mayuri's will, but she seemed to have some personal independence, enough to take up a task that her master had decided to ignore, although why the ryoka he was unsure.

Yoshirou thought for a second, before saying-"I have the ability to completely read a persons reiatsu. No insult meant, but I could sense from your reiatsu exactly what you are, despite whatever Mayuri programmed your body's reiatsu signature to be able to pass as a shinigami. Once again, just saying facts, but I'm guessing you're something akin to a Kaizo Konpaku in a custom Gigai, except a more permanent form where the Gigai is custom made from spiritual particles, making it effective like a shinigami's body, correct?" Nemu seemed surprised by the revelation that he had so clearly deduced what she actually was, before nodding.

Yoshirou continued, saying-"I not only saw Ishida after whatever occurred happened, but I tracked his progress as whatever the effect that made him lose his powers took place. It felt like his power was being muffled, suppressed forcibly by his own body. After I saw him later, his body had completed the process, removing his abilities just like you analyzed. My best guess would be that he probably overpowered his own body's capabilities, started using far too much power for his corporeal body. Since his body is effectively human, it doesn't have a Hakusui which is what regulated shinigami powers. As such, too much power from his abilities started to damage his body. In an attempt to save his body, his Saketsu sealed his soul link, making him lose all of his abilities. Once again, shinigami's can usually have their zanpakuto unlock their Saketsu as long as their Hakusui is unaffected, and vice versa, however, since a Quincy has neither zanpakuto nor Hakusui, they can't use this effective back up system."

Nemu nodded to herself upon hearing this, quietly saying "_Your exceeding the range of power permitted to humans, little boy…" _She then continued, saying-"Mayuri-sama said this to the Ryoka, perhaps that's what he meant. It happened after the Ryoka broke the glove on his hand, it then…" Nemu continued for a minute, describing the effects of whatever had happened, but Yoshirou was wracking his memory, he could remember reading something about this in Tessai's personal research scrolls to do with Quincy's, Nemu's description having brought it back to the forefront. It suddenly clicked as he blurted out-"Quincy: Letzt Stil! Of course!" Nemu looked at him in confusion, before he explained-"Sorry, German. What it means is the Quincy Final Form. It's what you might call an ultimate last resort move; its ability is so great it can raise the user's power levels anywhere between 10-40 times their original combat abilities temporarily. Its power is so great; it even overshadows Bankai, which is effectively 5-10 times greater. An incredibly rare and unique ability, I'm surprised that Ishida would have such a capability at his command. Its downside is that the skill makes you lose all of your powers afterwards. Really, what on earth could make the calculating Ishida lose his cool enough that he'd resort to that…"

Yoshirou looked at Nemu, were surprisingly he saw a slightly remorseful look on her features. **So she isn't emotionless **Yoshirou realised, seeing the acute change in her features. **However, this also means she knows exactly what made Ishida decide that killing Mayuri was a good idea.** Before he could enquire, he suddenly heard a blazing klaxon within the building. Nemu's features immediately changed back to their normal ones as she ran back into the other room. Yoshirou followed, curious as to what the noise could mean. As he entered he room he earlier identified as the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab, he saw the two researchers he had spotted earlier, practically glued to the screen. A third researcher, the first normal looking one of the day, was running about in a panic. He saw Nemu, before running over, reporting "Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou, there have been reports of six arrancar present within the Human Realm! One of them is confirmed to have Espada level reiatsu!" **Espada!** Yoshirou thought, recognising the term the researchers had coined for the apparent most powerful arrancar within Aizen's new army.

**Shit, six arrancar, there was only six shinigami sent into the human realm to begin with! And that Ulquiorra, another Espada, was a match for three Captains! There's going to be a bloodbath with another Espada present! **Yoshirou turned, shouting loudly "Theres another one on the screen!" Every bodies attention flew to the screen; however, there was no 7th foe. As Nemu turned back, she realised that the Captain had vanished. Unbeknownst to the people within the room, they had just missed the usage of a forbidden magic, since Yoshirou had distracted them fast enough that he could escape immediately.

(P.O.V change)

However, one person coming into the lab had seen it, and laughed evilly to himself as he strolled in. "Nemu, did you complete your mission?"-Mayuri asked as he walked in. Everybody in the room jumped with surprise expect the targeted woman, who bowed, saying-"Yes Mayuri-sama, just as you asked, I managed to put the artificial bacteria into his body via poisoning his drink." Mayuri laughed again in joy upon hearing this. "Oh, it went perfectly! Delaying his relocation into the human realm was a perfect plan! Now, I can get accurate data undoubtedly from an actual Espada! Even better, I can collect data from the subject himself!"-Mayuri said unbelievably ecstatic that his plan had gone perfectly.

Ever since he discovered the information within the Central 46, he had come up with numerous plans to enable him to study the Hikari bloodline descendant. However, he could make no open move since he was a Captain, and any attempts to capture his target, the Sou Taichou would most likely come to get him himself, judging from what he had learned of the trust that the Sou Taichou had taken upon himself. The only plan he could think of that might have worked with him not being detected was to make use of Nemu's body to gain the data, although he doubted the boy would have taken the bait in that situation. If the inexperienced brat couldn't comprehend that he already had one female interested in him, then that plan probably wouldn't succeed.

He only came up with a perfect method upon seeing Yoshirou's confusion the other day in the Captains meeting, regarding the subject of arrancar. He knew if he made the boy stay within Soul Society, then the boy would come to him. He didn't encounter the boy directly, he knew the target was far more sharp than he let on to others, if he had tried to deal with it himself, he would have failed due to the boy's intuition. It was only by using Nemu that the plan worked the boy's natural curiosity to the unknown that Nemu, being an artificial soul and body construct, presented distracted him from the potential chance that he was caught in Mayuri's plan.

The Espada data was just a nice side dish, it was the data from the Hikari boy's bloodline that he was after. The data within the Central 46 was massively incomplete, there was much data on Kyoraku, but Mayuri had finished studying that man years ago. It was the other clan bloodline that was sorely missing, just references to a massive battle years ago. The power of the bloodline, even just an impure descendant, was almost as great as the Sou Taichou himself, Mayuri didn't doubt that the Hikari brat had far more potential hidden within him being a direct descendant. Perhaps there was even a way to make use of the power, although even he highly doubted he could manipulate the bloodline of what was effectively a higher being to his own use. Still, the data alone he would gladly exchange any amount of his own men's lives for, even Nemu's body had he gone with his initial plan, not that he held any of the above in any high respect, all things were expendable in his own interests, even his own body parts for the success of the plan.

"It is a pity that I cannot have his body directly in an alive state, but if he is killed by the Espada today, then I will also have that!"-Mayuri said in glee as he clicked his fingers. Nemu walked straight over, taking her place beside Mayuri. "I heard parts of your conversation earlier, did you learn of how he has access to advanced knowledge on the Quincy that even I am unaware of?"-Mayuri asked Nemu. Nemu shook her head, saying-"I didn't have time to discover it." Mayuri shrugged, saying-"I am satisfied enough with the success of my first plan that I will overlook your mistake, next time you will find out how he has this knowledge." Nemu nodded, following Mayuri as he left the room, not even concerned slightly of the information on the analysis board showing the arrancar.

* * *

**Chapter over, well that took a bit of work before it fitted what I wanted. Mayuri was being so leniant towards the data Yoshirou could access in order to obtain data on him in turn. When I talk about the bacteria, I mean akin to the ones placed within Ishida's body which allows him to observe everything about both opposition and the users body. This is not a poisonous bacteria, far from it, Mayuri would not want to kill his new guinea-pig so soon if possible, the more data he can gain the better.**

**...oh and just for you people who are curious, yes, I did put Mayuri had thought of forcing Nemu to have a sexual relationship with Yoshirou as a potential alternative plan to get *data* from Yoshirou. My reasons are simple, I am not dirty minded thank you for the curious, I just tried to think of every dasterdly plan Mayuri could think of, and this seemed the plan with the best chance of going unnoticed by Yoshirou, failure or not. Personally, I think it's rather genius than perverted, but hell, everybody gets their own interpretations of what I put XP.**

**Well, next chapter we get the first arrancar encounter with the main guy! I am a bit iffy of delibrately extending the amount of time everybody else has to fight their foes to cover it, but i'm going to put it down to Mayuri delibrately interfering so he can get all the possible data from Yoshirous fight without the other shinigami intruding.**

**Anyhow, as always, please review and favourite if you feel like it!**


	7. Chapter 7 Grimmjow

**Heyo everybody! Promised match with Grimmjow is now up! I'm afraid I really do suck at doing battles, they always seem far too short, I just can't do prolonged encounters -.- once again, certain aspects have been changed for currently no explainable reason, but I will endeavour to make sure all things are explained right by the end, I promise! Anyhow, I dunno if this chapter will be any good, it did feel slightly rushed, but hopefully everything will have gone well.**

**Have fun reading!**

* * *

Yoshirou finished materializing inside his personal workroom, or more accurately, Tessai's old workroom. The room was about what you would expect from a workroom, old devices were scattered about the place that once were state of the art equipment a hundred years ago. There was even a couple of new things from Yoshirou's own tinkering on the desks, especially his more recent inventions. The room was hold up by several stone pillars, but an observant person would notice that there was one pillar too many. In the centre of the room was the main lodestone for the teleportation technique, the original creation which Tessai must have made centuries ago, cleverly disguised as a pillar. This lodestone was the basis for the magic technology included within Yoshirou's own teleportation nodes, although his was far more advanced and much more portable. However, this wasn't on Yoshirou mind as he considered his options quickly, already dashing out of the room. **Well, this puts me clear of the damn maze inside that building **Yoshirou thought as he got outside. He stopped for a second, thinking on whether he should bring anybody with him. **…No, they probably won't be able to keep up, and if this Espada is anywhere near as strong as that Ulquiorra, then they would have no hope **Yoshirou concluded as he started to use shunpo.

(5 minutes later)

"I'm sorry but even if you are a Captain, you can't speed up the gates charging sequence."-an official explained for the second time to Yoshirou. Yoshirou had managed to reach the main Senkaimon terminal, but had hit a huge obstacle. Yoshirou hadn't counted on the Senkaimon not having been open, and this was going to be troublesome. The gates took half an hour to charge at the best of times, and no amount of bellowing would get it to speed up. **Shit, half an hour and there maybe nothing but bodies left over there!** Yoshirou thought, pacing back and forth as he watched the shinigami try and hurriedly prepare the gate. Yoshirou considered whether there was any faster way to reach the human realm, but came to a dead end. Except for the Senkaimon, there was no other way to enable transit. Yoshirou could teleport any amount of times, but crossing dimensions was impossible, marker or not, without a path lain out. Growling, Yoshirou asked-"How do the gates charge?" The man looked up in surprise, before replying-"The gates gather reishi as energy about them to power their operations."

Realising there was something he could do, Yoshirou drew his zanpakuto as he walked towards the gate. "And what if somebody adds their own reiatsu to the gate?"-Yoshirou asked as he reached the gate. The official suddenly appeared beside him, trying to pull his arm back. "You can't! There's no telling what kind of effect trying to empower the Senkaimon would have! The Senkaimon won't be damaged, but it could harm you badly!"-the official hurriedly gabbled out, realising Yoshirou's intention. Yoshirou brushed the official off as he thought **Taiyou, can you control the output? Make sure nothing goes wrong?**

_*Sigh* Yes, but this feels like a rather stupid plan, how exactly do you plan to give enough energy to power that thing as well as fight the Espada afterwards?_

**You got any better ideas? **

…_no…_

**Then it's decided** Yoshirou thought as he stabbed his zanpakuto through the gate portal. He felt the power of the gate start to draw reiatsu from his own body. However, what he didn't anticipate was no sooner than it started, the process stopped. The gate was suddenly blazing with light, a golden glow about the portal rather than the usual blue. Beside Yoshirou, the official was shaking in fear of whatever he was seeing, not able to comprehend what was before him. "Sir, the portal's putting out strange readings and a new set of locating co-ordinates have been locked in! What exactly has happened?"-a shinigami from nearby called out in surprise. The official just stared dumbstruck at the gate before him. Even Yoshirou was kind of taken back by what he was seeing. He was expecting the portal to consume a decent amount of his reiatsu before it opened, but not only did it take only a tiny amount, but the portal had fundamentally changed somehow, and not in the usual way. Even if it was his reiatsu that affected it, the colour didn't quite match his own, it was a too deep tone of gold.

**What the hell…** Yoshirou thought as he looked at the portal. Is that thing even safe to use? "What are the co-ordinates at?"-Yoshirou shouted over to the shinigami. The shinigami used a strange spell that Yoshirou didn't recognise on the gate, before calling out-"Its Karakura Town still, but it's locked into a location in mid air I believe, Taichou!" **Well then that settles it** Yoshirou thought as he looked at the portal. **It's still a portal in essence right? There shouldn't be any problems if I just walk in now, I'll just end up in the dangai and continue from there right?**

_Your not seriously planning to use it are you? There could be any amount of different things that may happen from using that!_

**Well, the guy already said the portal location is mid air, so nothings going to happen when I get there, it's all down to what's in transit** Yoshirou summarized, wonder just what he was about to walk through. However, rather than wait, he forced himself to walk forwards, straight through the portal, the golden light enveloping him as he disappeared. The shocked official watched as the portal shut behind him, the portal losing all of the light that had been there. The Senkaimon once again took a very dim blue glow, as if nothing had happened and it was still in the charging process.

(Karakura town)

Yoshirou was surprised as he found himself walking straight out of the portal and into the air above Karakura town. What the hell, there was no transit stage? Yoshirou wondered as he looked back, almost jumping in surprise as he beheld the huge gate he had just walked through. It was unbelievably strange, designed in the same way as the normal human realm Senkaimon, but huge in comparison. Also, the doors were arranged strangely. The back partition doors were a purple colour with strange animals inscribed in red, chasing each other about the doors edge. The forward doors were totally different, the left door golden, the right door black. In the part where the doors would close together, there were inscribed two halfs of a Ying Yang symbol, with the opposite colour on the opposite door, the gold half on the black door, the black half on the golden door.

**That is really strange… **Yoshirou thought as he watched the doors close slowly behind him, vanishing in much the same way as a normal Senkaimon portal would. As a quick test, he tried to use his normal way to unlock a Senkaimon, stabbing the sword forward through the tiny gaps in reality although not twisting the blade, he didn't plan to open the doors if they did appear. As usual, the normal Senkaimon doors appeared, wooden partition doors that would lead back to Soul Society. **So what the hell was the other Senkaimon doors?** Yoshirou wondered as the doors he summoned faded back into non existence. **Is it even right to call them Senkaimon? They could be something entirely different. My first guess would be another inherited ability, the first doors were opposite gold and black, that's light and dark, although gold representing the light instead of white…**

_I'd hate to break up your musing, but didn't you have something else to deal with?_

**Of course!** Yoshirou thought, subconsciously noting the location in mid air was the exact same one he appeared in when he went to the human realm with Kurosaki. Yoshirou tuned his senses to figure out how the battles were going. As far as he could sense, there were five arrancar still present, including the huge signature thrown off by the Espada, one that overshadowed everybody who was in the Human Realm. One arrancar signature was missing, Yoshirou presumed killed. All arrancar were in combat with the shinigami forces. He at first thought nearly everyone was losing, before remembering the seals every shinigami wore were still in effect. Each shinigami had just about enough power in reserve to defeat their opponent, although Renji was only barely above his foe in full strength. Yoshirou was about to decide to aid Renji, before he realised something. He had counted six shinigami reiatsu's, but there was something wrong. That total included Kurosaki's reiatsu, which was currently fighting the Espada.

Forcing his senses further, he realised what it was. **Shit, Rukia!** Yoshirou realised as he felt a weak reiatsu signature from nearby Kurosaki and the Espada. **She must have tried to fight the Espada, fucking idiot! **Yoshirou panicked, unable to reserve his language from what he could sense. **Only a few minutes have passed and there's already somebody down!** Yoshirou realised, before realising one last thing. Kurosaki was getting trounced by his opponent. It wasn't that the gap in their reiatsu was so monstrous; Yoshirou could tell the Espada wasn't even serious, yet Kurosaki's reiatsu was also held back. He was being pummelled without using his full strength, although the lack of any real drop in his reiatsu suggested his foe wasn't even aiming to kill his opponent, he was toying with the substitute Shinigami.

**I've got to move quick** Yoshirou thought, planning his moves as he started to use shunpo, heading towards the battlefield. **I need to get Rukia clear of the fight, if we start going all out, theres no telling what might happen to her as collateral damage. I also need to be fast, I can't fight something that strong alone, I need to get there before Kurosaki is unable to continue. Even with both of us I don't know if we can do it, I'm not used to fighting with a partner, and that Espada is bloody strong. All we can do is fight him until Hitsugaya can come with the rest of the team, even an Espada can't fight seven shinigami together.**

(30 seconds later)

Yoshirou arrived at the battle scene. Normally, he would asses how the battle was going before he jumped in, but he had neither time nor luxury. Not only was Kurosaki almost on the ropes, but his reiatsu was starting to fluctuate horribly. Yoshirou could sense a battle going on inside his body between two powers; it was trying to suppress this inner battle which was limiting the amount of power Kurosaki was fighting with. Yoshirou arrived, seeing the unconscious Rukia lying on the ground. Make that two Rukia's Yoshirou thought as he saw a gigai of Rukia trying to tie a makeshift bandage from her own shirt on her master's body. Yoshirou had also sensed another problem, there was a human within the Spatial Stasis projections, he would have to move that human too, if anything the human should have died already, the reiatsu in the air was more than enough to crush a normal human.

Yoshirou growled quietly to himself as he ran over to Rukia's side. Yoshirou kneeled beside the Gigai as it noticed his presence, trying to quickly ascertain Rukia's condition. It seemed like somebody had literally punched a hand into her stomach, a nearly critical injury, perhaps not enough to kill her outright, but definitely enough to ensure she was both in horrible pain and completely out of the fight. "Gikon, can you return back into your normal form?"-Yoshirou asked, hoping that it could. Putting Rukia into her Gigai would be the fastest way to get her out of here. However, the Gigai shook it's head-"Not without Rukia-sama Zugaikotsu shīru glove-pyon (1)" **Pyon? Bloody Chappy, I'm glad mines a Kaizou Konpaku** Yoshirou thought off hand, quickly realising he had little choice in what to do. He quickly started forming hand seals, before putting hand above hand over the wound. Using the newest technique that Unohana taught him, he placed the regeneration seal over the wound. The blood stopped flowing quickly as the spell started to work. **I don't have time to heal it properly** Yoshirou thought as he picked Rukia's small body up. "Go to the Urahara store!"-Yoshirou ordered the Gigai as he leapt into the air, choosing his new location.

Using his long distance shunpo step, he reached the store in two steps. He banged the door twice, but having no immediate response, he internally apologised as he blasted the doors down. He could sense that the inhabitants were not present, out for some reason. He quickly moved to a back room, laying Rukia down on the tatami mat floor as he placed a barrier about her to stabilise her reiatsu. **What a night for Urahara to pick to be missing**… Yoshirou thought sourly as he leapt back out of the house. In those few minutes he could sense a number of changes. Ikkaku had claimed victory in his fight, his own reiatsu also dropped to nearly nothing, probably unconscious. **Shit! I was hoping he would be able to help out! **Yoshirou thought as he returned to where he had come from. The Gigai had already made itself sparse, but the human was getting dangerously close to the fight.

The fight involving Kurosaki was taking a turn for the worse. Kurosaki had been forced to stop repressing whatever battle was waging inside him to use his full force against his foe, and his reiatsu was now flying out of control, barely distinguishable between hollow and shinigami. The shinigami part was still stronger, but if Kurosaki kept fighting, he was in danger of losing control completely. As Yoshirou arrived, he heard Kurosaki hoarsely yell out "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" A massive wave of black reiatsu flew at his foe, before almost detonating with its force upon the Espada's body, leaving a massive burn mark where it had impacted. Kurosaki himself was panting for breath, standing in a crater which Yoshirou guessed he had made with his own body, a bloody mess from the fight with the Espada. Yoshirou realised from Kurosaki's posture that he wasn't critically injured, but he had been unmercifully pummelled by his foe. The Espada himself hadn't even drawn his sword, the burn he had just received being the only wound on his entire body.

**Shit, if Kurosaki's speed type Bankai was outdone that easily, I haven't got a hope of hitting him with Kido** Yoshirou realised as the Espada drew its crossed arms down from it's face, the only part of it's body the Espada had attempted to guard from Kurosaki's attack. "What the hell was that? Ulquiorra didn't warn me about that move, shinigami."-the Espada called out, it's grin at odds with what he was saying, until Yoshirou realised that the Espada must have been happy that his foe pulled out a better move. Kurosaki called back "Am I still disappointing you, Arrancar?", however, his taunt only brought more mirth to the Espada, Kurosaki didn't realise his foe was literally hungry for more fighting. "Bring it on, shinigami! Now I can say there is a reason to really kill you!" Suddenly, Kurosaki seemed to double as his reiatsu started to jump even further, the hollow inside starting to grow in strength since he no longer was able to repress it. Yoshirou also realised that the human was now literally meters from the fight, if anything it seemed to be drawn to the fight. **…wait! That's that girl who could see me!** Yoshirou realised, now understanding the girl was intentionally going towards the fight.

Realising he was now out of time, Yoshirou quickly pulled up his sleeve, forcibly suppressing his reiatsu as he pulled the sealing bands from his arm. **I can't get the human out now, and Kurosaki isn't up to fighting any more! I have to step in now before the arrancar continues fighting!** Yoshirou concentrated as he decided upon the only way he was going to fight the arrancar. He still didn't know the Espada's full combat ability, so using his best abilities from his shikai so early would only see him killed. Kido was not an option; the opponent was too fast without a sword. At the same time, he couldn't use his sealed sword at that speed. Reaching his last choice, he sighed as he pulled his Haori from his shoulders, throwing it to the wind. **Let's go, Taiyou!**

"Now, it's my turn…"-the Espada declared down to Kurosaki, before he was rudely interrupted. Yoshirou's heel smashing into the back of his head, rocketing the Espada towards the ground. **I've only got this one opening, I can't let up!** Yoshirou thought as he rocketed after the enemy, his Shunko statically ripping at the air about him as he dived towards his opponent. The Espada didn't even have time to blink before Yoshirou was parallel to it. Yoshirou was surprised at how human the Espada was, looking at him with surprise across his features as Yoshirou drew back his fists, blasting two fists into it's body. "Soukotsu!"-Yoshirou shouted as he dispelled the huge amounts of pressurised reiatsu from his fists directly into the contact point. The effect was immediate, as the Espada's body flew at near super-sonic speed through the nearby buildings. **Can't let up!** Yoshirou thought again as he forced his body into shunpo, despite the shock from using so much reiatsu so fast was still flying throughout it. The Espada recovered from his blow, back flipping in mid air over the street as it tried to stop its flight. "What the hell…!"-the Espada blurted out, however it suddenly realised its arm was trapped, Yoshirou grip iron tight about it. He shouted as he pummelled his other fist into the Espada's face again and again, pulling out a rapid fire machinegun effect, the speed of his punches heating his fists from friction due to the air. However, it didn't last long, the Espada getting a grip on his hand, its face barely marked despite the impressive barrage from Yoshirou's fist. "Got ya…"-the Espada started to say, before Yoshirou suddenly spun about at breakneck speed, using his first arm to break the Espada's grip, before holding on in turn, making three full revolutions to build up momentum before hurling the Espada into the concrete below. The crater from the Espada's body shamed the crater Kurosaki had been standing in, at the very least twice as big. Yoshirou back flipped in mid air, creating a reverse platform with the surrounding reishi to kick off as he flew right to the centre of the crater, hands once again drawn back for his most powerful Hakuda move. As Yoshirou impacted with the Espada, the crater deepened once again, now starting to make the surrounding buildings unstable.

However, it seemed Yoshirou's surprise run had ended, both his fists blocked by the Espada who was lying on his back, his insane grin on his face one again. Yoshirou now found himself rocketed back as the Espada connected a kick with his midriff. The force of his Shunko about him massively reduced the blow's power, but Yoshirou could still feel the kick's impact, glad that none of his organs had been damaged from the blow. Yoshirou flew back further on the momentum of the Espada's kick, before flipping, skidding on the air before coming to a stop, high in the air above the Espada. The Espada didn't even bother trying to get up, lying in the concrete crater as if all of this had been a rather fun exercise, laughing its insane laugh. **Shit, that's got to be the Hierro I researched about at work **Yoshirou thought as he looked at his foe. Even with all of the force of his Shunko, the Espada wasn't injured too badly, only minor scrapes showing on its face from his barrage. However, one blow had made a mark; his stomach was burning red from where his most powerful punches had landed.

"Not bad Shinigami! That actually stung! I thought that kid over there was the best fun I would have all night, but you're pulling off some impressive power even without a zanpakuto! You make that other shinigami look like nothing!"-the Espada complimented as it rose from the hole in the ground. Yoshirou watched as the Espada vanished, appearing level with him in mid air, but a distance away. Even with Shunko, I think I'm only just faster than him Yoshirou thought as the arrancar started to crack it's neck tendons. He took Soukotsu head on and stopped it, that's some insane power he has, if I'm not careful of him, he could end it in a second. As Yoshirou looked at him, he noticed that his opponent was scowling at him now. "Fuck all that, your eyes show your worth shit all, that kid had a better look than you. Fucking coward, your scared of me already aren't ya?"-the Espada asked. "The kid had more balls than you, even if he's weaker." Yoshirou smiled fiercely as he stated-"Respecting your power isn't cowardice, its carefulness." Yoshirou settled into a combat stance as his shunko continued to blaze about him. "I already figured you stronger than me, a lot stronger in fact. I'm not afraid of it, I'm acknowledging it. Keep thinking that naively, assuming I'm afraid of you, Espada…"-Yoshirou said, his reiatsu blazing as he pulled on his full force. "... and you'll die!"

The Espada grinned once more as it settled into its own stance. "Nice, that look in your eyes is better now! C'mon, let's see what you're made of, Shinigami!"-the Espada said as it disappeared. Yoshirou barely sensed his movement as it arrived behind him. Yoshirou ducked under the stabbing hand, spinning as he put all of his power into his punch. "Ikkotsu!"-Yoshirou shouted as the surprised Espada took the blow into the same area as Yoshirou had hit earlier. However, the Espada didn't shift far, retaliating with a blazing fast kick which Yoshirou barely managed to block. **Too powerful!** Yoshirou thought as he felt himself moved from the force of the blow, sent flying across the air. Guessing his intention, Yoshirou didn't try to recover, instead waiting for the Espada to appear above him, a knee aimed for his body. Yoshirou barely managed to avoid it, feeling the force from the Espada's power as the air shifted in the wake of his speedy strike. Yoshirou grabbed hold of the back of the Espada's clothing as he passed, smashing his own knee into the Espada's spine. The Espada didn't even seem to notice, vanishing once again, tearing free of his grip. The Espada reappeared further away, waiting for Yoshirou to right his form to return to a standing pose.

(10 minutes later)

After a furious prolongued exchange between the two fighters, the hit's were starting to tell. Yoshirou's arms and knees were numb from the number of blows he had blocked, his fists sore from punching the Hierro of the Espada, even through Shunko. The Espada however, had taken several new blows, his body was now covered in various bruises and agrevated area's from Yoshirou's powerful blows, even a few new cuts, although Yoshirou could tell none of the injuries he had given the Espada slowed him in the slightest. Had it not been for the Hierro of the Arrancar, Yoshirou didn't doubt any foe would have suffered huge amount's of broken limbs from his attacks. There was a lull now as both combatents sized each other up again. The Espada was still grinning despite the fact that in the exchange, he hadn't even landed a solid blow on his foe. "Heh, fuck your fast! And powerful, that Bankai that kid had didn't hit as hard as your blows do. But, you don't have a hope like this; I'm not using any reiatsu beyond what's in my moves. Whatever that weird aura about you is, that's gotta be burning up your power, your running on time. You better start using your Shikai or Bankai, whatever the fuck you got, or I'm going to kill you Shinigami!"-the Espada said, dancing lightly on the spot to keep the battle momentum in his body. Yoshirou knew that the Espada was right, he was getting nowhere like this, and the other shinigami were still locked in battle, he couldn't expect help from them yet. Yoshirou resorted to taunting-"What about you! You've got that zanpakuto by your side too, your holding back on me you bastard. You're not getting a look at my power unless you get serious yourself."

_Yoshirou, you probably can't handle him going all out! Don't taunt him to get serious!_

**Taiyou, I can't use my powers unless I know all of his, if I go all out and he pulls something out of nowhere, I'm dead!** Across the way, the Espada was laughing at full force again. "Unless I get serious? Your one helluva punk for a shinigami! Me, go all out? You'd be dead before you know it!"-the Espada said. "Y'know what, tell me your name Shinigami! I haven't had this kind of fun in ages, killing you without knowing who you are would be a shame!"

_Yoshirou!_

**Yeah, I sense it!** Yoshirou could sense that the other shinigami across the human realm suddenly leapt in power, the permission to lift the Gentei Reiin had been given, and now their opponents had to face an unknown leap in combat ability. Yoshirou didn't doubt all fights were soon to be resolved; it was just up to him to hold on until help arrived. "Captain of the Kido Corps, Yoshirou Kenshin."-Yoshirou replied, surprised to see the Espada's eyes widen in recognition. "So you're the shinigami Aizen seemed concerned about! Heh, no wonder, for a shinigami, your damn powerful. Anyway, Sexta Arrancar, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! Remember the name, shinigami!" As he said this, Grimmjow lifted his left arm, as Yoshirou watched, red light started to build about his hand. **Cero!** Yoshirou thought, preparing to dodge the attack, already planning ahead for his next move after Grimmjow missed. "Whoa, whoa there shinigami, what makes you think this ones for you?"-Grimmjow stated, swinging his palm to the side. "I wonder will you get serious if I fire this at him?"

Yoshirou followed the path of Grimmjow's arm, seeing that it pointed at Kurosaki, still rooted to the place he had been at, struggling to suppress the hollow inside him. **Shit!** Yoshirou thought, knowing that even if he went for Grimmjow, he would fire before he could get there. Yoshirou instead used shunpo, reappearing in the air between Grimmjow and Kurosaki as he drew his zanpakuto. **Looks like we go all out now! I can't use a Kido, Shunko has used up too much of my magical energy reserves. I can't nullify it, he'll kill me in the opening I leave, It's that technique or nothing! **Yoshirou thought as he declared "Akariotorou, Taiyoukousen!" Before the zanpakuto had even finished forming, he drew the zanpakuto back, angling the blade down his left side, the tip pointing behind him. **Time to give it our all!** Yoshirou thought as he saw the grin on the arrancar's face spread to unbelievable proportions as he fired the Cero. **Let's go!**

_Go for it!_

Yoshirou watched as the attack flew towards him in slow motion, the power thrumming in the attack. Yoshirou drew the zanpakuto forward, shouting out the name of his technique as he slashed the air before him with all his might, the zanpakuto blazing with furious energy. "KYUTENSASU!" (2) As the Cero flew towards the two shinigami, a massive arc of light flew across the sky, impacting on the Cero. Yoshirou panted as he watched the clash, the arc of light had far more force to it than the Cero, but Grimmjow was pouring more and more reiatsu into the Cero to try and force it back. **I have to move Kurosaki!** Yoshirou realized as he thought his attack was going to be defeated, but a sudden fluctuation in the air about the clash caught his attention.

_I never told you quite why that technique consumes so much reiatsu. The reason I didn't was because I was unsure how to explain it, you had to see it yourself._

Yoshirou barely listened to Taiyou's voice as he watched the clash, both he and Grimmjow surprised by what was happening, but the fierce scowl on Grimmjow's face, mixed with a tiny bit of uncertainty showed things were no longer working as he wanted. As Yoshirou watched, the arc of light seemed to grow in intensity, its brilliance now starting to light up the street about the two fighters. The Cero was being forced back by the pure force. **No, that's not it! **Yoshirou thought agape as he watched the clash. **My attack is growing in power, the Cero is weakening, my Kyutensasu is absorbing the Cero into its own power!** Suddenly, Grimmjow halted his attempts to win the struggle, desperately throwing himself aside. However, what power his Cero had given to Yoshirou's Kyutensasu had not only boosted its strength to unbelievable proportions, but it's speed too. Grimmjow didn't have a chance, he barely got his torso out of the way with his speed, but the attack screamed up, continuing its path straight into the arm Grimmjow had used to fire the Cero. In a flash, Grimmjows arm was entirely sliced off, the wound flash seared on both the flying limb and Grimmjow's remaining stump as both caught fire. Screaming out in pain, Grimmjow managed to beat the flames consuming what was left of the stump out, but his limb wasn't so lucky, consumed by the intense reiatsu, no longer protected by Grimmjow's own reiatsu, it was consumed by the power of the attack, scattering to the wind as ash.

Yoshirou fell to his knee, panting from the loss of reiatsu from his own body as Grimmjow was cursing in pain in the sky. **Shit, both Shunko and Kyutensasu? I'm starting to run out of reiatsu, I doubt I have a minute before Shunko runs out **Yoshirou thought as he tried to assess what reiatsu he had left. **He's weakened too though, Kyutensasu is an attack filled purely with my reiatsu, his own reiatsu will have been temporarily weakened by being injured by it, the difference is can I beat him with what I have left?** Using his senses, he figured he had maybe another two minutes before the others arrived. Also, he sensed that Kurosaki had finally gained control of his unstable reiatsu, and was preparing to rejoin the battle below him, obviously sick of being a simple observer. **I think perhaps both of us together may be able to do it** Yoshirou thought as he watched Grimmjow finally finish cursing.

"DAMN IT ALL! MY FUCKING ARM! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU; I'LL KILL ALL YOU WORTHLESS SHINIGAMI!"-Grimmjow bellowed down from the sky, his reiatsu growing with a new intensity as he drew his zanpakuto with his remaining arm. "Kurosaki, get ready!"-Yoshirou shouted as he sensed Kurosaki jump up beside him. Kurosaki didn't say anything though, his mind probably still affected by everything that had happened. However, he drew his Bankai into a ready pose beside him, preparing for whatever was going to come next. Grimmjow's blade started to glow blue, the air about him whipping into a frenzy. However, behind his shoulder, a portal opened behind Grimmjow, a new presence appearing. "KISHIRE-!"-Grimmjow started to below, before an arm reached over, grabbing hold of his zanpakuto hilt, stopping whatever release Grimmjow was about to commit to.

"Sheath your sword, Grimmjow."-Tosen said quietly to him. "Tosen! He's one of the captains who betrayed Soul Society!"-Kurosaki said beside Yoshirou. "Why the hell're you here now? I just got to kill these two and we're finished, I don't need you getting in my way Tosen!"-Grimmjow said, his earlier pain and anger apparently now forgotten since Tosen had stopped his headlong rush. "Your mission is finished, Grimmjow. In this state, you cannot fight these two and kill them before reinforcements come. Your idea of sending your fraccion out to keep the reinforcements away was sound, but your men were weak. Every single one is dead, with no loses for the shinigami."-Tosen stated, walking away from Grimmjow. Grimmjow's face betrayed no emotion of even caring that the arrancar he brought were all dead, just angry at being interrupted. "You failed because the shinigami brought a new reinforcement in which was not predicted, Aizen will forgive this failure this time, you should retreat before he changes his mind."-Tosen said, tapping the air, opening a portal before him.

Grimmjow looked down at the two shinigami, before growling and walking to the portal. "Wait, where are you going!"-Kurosaki shouted up, Yoshirou quickly raising an arm before him in case he tried to go for them. "Kurosaki, calm! Those two probably could kill us both right now, let them go!"-Yoshirou said at him. Higher up, Grimmjow laughed as he said-"Listen to the bastard, kid. He's right, me leaving is the only thing that could've saved you, Shinigami!" Kurosaki tensed in anger at the Espada's words. Grimmjow turned about saying-"I can tell by looking at you that that move of your's is damaging your body, you only have two or three more shots, and even if you could use em without limits, it would be useless against my released form! And the other shinigami, if he's lucky he might have one more shot for his technique, if even that, and I know it works best as a counter, I ain't gonna fall for it again!" Yoshirou was surprised that the Espada had calculated his remaining power quite accurately, he did have one more shot if he turned off his Shunko, but it would be every last drop of reiatsu he had. "Released form?"-Kurosaki asked, surprised by the term. Yoshirou had already guessed they may have some kind of release, and this now confirmed it for him.

"Don't go forgettin my name now, Shinigami's! Just pray you never hear it again! Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! The next time you hear it will be your last, shinigami!"-Grimmjow finished as the portal closed behind him, leaving Tosen still in the air. Yoshirou lifted his shikai up at Tosen, saying-"Planning to get your ass kicked again? Without the Espada, you might wanna start running too!" However, Tosen just gazed at him with his unseeing eyes behind his visor.

"Yoshirou Kenshin, I had a message to deliver to you, and you alone. It is a pity that the Ryoka boy is here too, but I do not have the luxury of meeting you alone. This was all merely a set up so that I may deliver this to you; Aizen-sama entertained no thoughts of Grimmjow's success. Undoubtedly by now you have learnt of your past, Aizen-sama would like you to consider just what the shinigami have done for you. You have been neglected, cast out, branded to die from birth just for merely existing. Should you really serve such a corrupt system? Do you really believe it justice to protect such corrupt beings, when you are not the same as them? You should think on this, and decide whether it is truly right that you swing your sword for such a disgrace."-Tosen said in his monotonous tone, surprising Yoshirou. Yoshirou paused upon hearing all of this, however before he could recover, Tosen had already retreated into a portal, leaving he and Kurosaki alone amidst the wreaked destruction from their fights.

* * *

**Hehe, I love making strange bullshit plans with Aizen, he knows all, sees all, predicts all! That and he's good with words, he's great fun when you just want to do a "I told you so" type of guy. Hopefully, this chapter was good enough for you guys, sorry the fight seems so short, but this isn't a major encounter, if fights are serious encounters, then they will be bigger! Anyhow, there probably won't be a good fight for a while, next ones going to probably be a description of Clone Aizen vs Yoshirou to win the Bankai. However, that won't be for a little while yet, he still hasn't learnt what he needs to, but he will in time.**

**As always, please review and favourite if you want!**

**(1). Skull Seal glove-There is no official name for Rukia's glove, other than a glove with Skull Symbol on it. As such, I thought of making a Skull Seal, and just added glove to the end.**

**(2). Light of Heaven-Yoshirou's final Shikai ability, yes it is a teensy rip off of Getsuga Tenshou, but has a fundamental difference in both use and power.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Another difficult to write chapter, I hate it when I run out of ideas and just have to put down what I can, I rarely do a good chapter when that happens -.- Anyhow, next chapter up, nothing much happens here, just something to fill in the gap t.b.h, it was either that or just skip this bit alltogether, but I needed a reason for Yoshirou to get a new gigai (I wanted him to have one alike the Vaizards Gigai, fully utilisable as his own body, dunno why just disliked the idea of keeping him in permenant uniform while in the human realm.)**

**Well, have fun reading! (Tweaked a few facts about again, but I think it all works out all right)**

* * *

**What the hell does he mean by telling me that?** Yoshirou wondered as he stopped the reiatsu flow in his body, deactivating his Shunko and his Shikai together. Beside him, Kurosaki fell to his knees, panting heavily. He had been bluffing that he was ready to continue, he was absolutely exhausted from the punishing beating that Grimmjow had delivered to him. Yoshirou sighed deeply, bringing his own rapid breathing to a calmer tempo as he sheathed his own zanpakuto. He realised that his entire torso was covered in sweat while he hadn't noticed, and his arms were trembling pretty badly, muscles aching. Using **Shunko for so long was a pretty bad idea** Yoshirou thought to himself as he descended to ground level, landing in the crater Kurosaki had come from. **It worked, but I'm probably going to be sore for ages now. Also, that's another ruined Shihakshou, least I ditched the Haori before I began.**

Sensing Renji's approach, Yoshirou remembered he had something else that he hadn't accounted for. **That human!** Yoshirou remembered, throwing his senses out to try and discover the girl's fate. He quickly discovered that she had barely moved from her hiding space nearby, still watching everything that was happening. **Great, just what I need, I don't carry Kikanshinki (1), never thought I would need one** Yoshirou mused as Kurosaki also reached the same level as him. Yoshirou expected Kurosaki to say something, but he was silent, instead walking out of the crater quietly to meet with Renji, not even looking at Yoshirou. **Huh? Not even thanks for rescuing his ass?**

_Don't be annoyed, he's probably still pretty shocked from what's happening, he'd probably prefer a more friendly presence to speak to first._

**What, and I'm not friendly?** Yoshirou thought as he ignored Kurosaki, instead walking in the direction of the human. As he watched, he saw her duck into the shadows of the building she was by, but she didn't run for it. **Well, I'll just knock her out and drop her off at Urahara's, Hakufaku should do it (2) **Yoshirou thought as he reached the building. The girl watched him with a surprisingly sharp expression as he rounded the corner, no real fear of what she had just seen him do. "Hrm, Tatsuki, right?"-Yoshirou asked, trying to remember the name he had heard the other boy, Keigo call out earlier. "Sorry, but-"-Yoshirou started, raising his hand to start his spell. However, he was cut off by something thrown at him. Catching it, he realised that the girl had somehow gotten his Haori.

"You saved Ichigo, didn't you? Thanks."-Tatsuki said to him as Yoshirou quickly flung the Haori on, his torso now covered a bit better than before. "You know Kurosaki? Must be a human friend…"-Yoshirou said, receiving a strange face from the girl. Realising his mistake, he apologised-"School friend, sorry I'm not exactly what you would call human, forgive me for identifying you by the title." Yoshirou raised his hand to start the spell again, but found himself interrupted for a second time. "That thing, was it the same as what I saw yesterday?"-Tatsuki asked. Yoshirou faltered upon hearing this, he knew that Kurosaki and his friends were trying to protect somebody during the arrancar incursion. **So it was her, but how did she get involved? Is this girl practically drawn to bad foes? First the incursion, now this fight, trouble magnet or what…** Yoshirou thought as he considered his next move carefully.

Deciding to go with his instinct instead of following regulations, he turned away from Tatsuki, his Haori flapping from the sudden movement. "You shouldn't try to understand these things, unless you have the power to help, then it's just putting you in danger knowing. There's no point in trying to remove what you know, I think you're too deeply involved now, and Kurosaki wouldn't forgive me if I did something stupid like that. Just go home, get ready for the next day, live happily, don't get involved with this."-Yoshirou said, starting to walk away. He was surprised to suddenly find an iron tight grip on his arm, surprisingly strong for a human, holding him back from leaving. He turned to look at the young girl, noticing for the first time the girl wasn't as frail as he thought, instead a determined look in her eyes.

"I can't! Every day those things keep flying everywhere, I can see them! Those things yesterday, I saw people die! Today, the people who I saw weren't in school, they're gone! And I have these memories that I don't understand, things keep changing, I keep seeing me and my friend attacked by the same monster! I can't just ignore it if my friends are in danger, Ichigo just nearly got killed by that thing, don't say he didn't! I don't want to just sit around, not knowing what this all is!"-Tatsuki said defiantly. Yoshirou turned about then, realising he was right, the girl was far too deeply involved for a mere memory wipe to work. As far as he could tell from her words, it had been done once before and failed to work. He was surprised from what she had described that the girl was even holding onto her normal sanity, she had seen all those people die yesterday, but had accepted it, and moved on already.

Yoshirou sighed as he pulled lightly with his arm, dislodging her grip. "Look, it's up to Ichigo to tell you, not me. You're going to have to wait until he's ready to tell you, not me."-Yoshirou said, continuing to walk away. He could literally hear the girl grind her teeth in exasperation behind him. Sighing, Yoshirou turned his head, saying-"Look, how about we do it this way? You keep out of all this, and I'll do everything to protect this town, all your friends, everything that can be targeted by the monsters. If I fight to protect you all, will that be good enough for you?" The girl didn't say anything to that. "Well, it's either you agree to that or I can wipe your memories, your choice."-Yoshirou said, shrugging. The girl seemed to sigh-"Wipe memories? Are you for real? Wait, you could be anything, so there's no point questioning it… Fine, as long as everybody is safe, then I'll not get in anybodies way." At that, Yoshirou heard the gravel grind as the girl turned about, apparently leaving.

**I guess Kurosaki doesn't know about this then** Yoshirou thought as he walked back towards the crater he had come from. Glancing about, he realised that Kurosaki and Renji had already moved off. Using his senses, he pinpointed that there were numerous reiatsu signals in one direction. **Hitsugaya, Inoue, Kurosaki, Renji and…oh for gods sake, Rukia must have escaped from the Urahara store** Yoshirou realised, cursing that he hadn't made the healing barrier a stronger one, he didn't predict she would break it if she woke up to try and rejoin the battle. **Well, if she's good enough that she's breaking out of being grounded, then the healing magic did its work** Yoshirou thought as he used shunpo, arriving at the scene in a few steps.

Catching up with the collected team, Yoshirou noted that Rukia must have been better. She was walking alongside her own Gigai and Kurosaki, apparently berating Kurosaki for something. Hitsugaya seemed to notice Yoshirou's presence first, stepping back from the group without a noise to keep pace with him. As Hitsugaya reached where he was, Yoshirou could see that the fight hadn't been an easy one for the Captain, his torso covered in bandages, his arms crossed before his chest rather than put through his Haori. "How come you're here?"-Hitsugaya asked quietly, trying not to get the attention of the others ahead of them, Inoue trying to lighten the mood about Kurosaki with some upbeat banter, but failing dismally. "Pure luck, I happened to get the information about the arrancar's as soon as it was detected, and came into the real world immediately to try and support your team."

Hitsugaya seemed annoyed to see him however. "Our team didn't need assistance, and I doubt you're cleared to be in the human realm, you should not have come."-Hitsugaya stated. Yoshirou retorted-"Don't act tough, you're a mess as it is, if I hadn't come, god knows how many casualties that Espada would have caused." Hitsugaya gasped in surprise at hearing that. "There was an Espada here? How come I wasn't notified?" Now it was Yoshirou's turn to be in surprise. **Nobody notified him an Espada was present? What on earth, as the leader of the relief force, he should have been notified as the highest priority!**

"I don't know I only came because I was aware of the Espada, and that was before I left Soul Society. I don't know why you weren't notified, out of the relief team, you're the only one with even close to enough power to even face an Espada. There must have been a communication problem; I'm guessing that's why you guys took so long to release your seals as well? If you guys had been any longer, I wouldn't have been able to hold off the Espada, he retreated when you guys were obviously ready to provide back up. As it was, I only had enough power to last another minute."-Yoshirou said quietly. Hitsugaya nodded, asking-"How powerful was the enemy?" "Immense, I doubt I could have killed it, especially with having to protect Kurosaki, even hitting it with Shunko only gave the damn thing bruises, I don't know which one suffered worse, his body or my knuckles."-Yoshirou answered. "Worst of all, I got a number from the enemy; he said he was number 6."

Hitsugaya's brows furrowed in thought as he took in the information. "So, he's a foe who could take on a Captain-rank and win, and he's number 6, from what the other arrancar told me, that makes him the 6th strongest they have… this just gets worse and worse."-Hitsugaya said. "Well, if it makes things any better, over all it's a victory for us. Everybody beat their foes, and I managed to remove the Espada's arm, that shows that his little army isn't as strong as he might think. It was a complete defeat for them."-Yoshirou said, pulling his Haori tighter as the cold air started to get at him. "Did you learn their objective?"-Hitsugaya suddenly asked. Yoshirou hesitated, before saying-"The Espada said something about just having to kill me and Kurosaki and it would be over, I'm assuming the objective was to remove potential threats. However, he was forced to retreat when it became apparent he couldn't do it before reinforcements came."

_Your not telling him what Tosen said?_

**What, that Aizen seems intent on trying to make me question my resolve? How is he supposed to understand that, it seemed more like Aizen is trying to recruit me than anything! **

Hitsugaya didn't seem to notice this argument going on between shinigami and zanpakuto, instead thinking to himself silently. Before Yoshirou could even say anything more, he vanished with shunpo, apparently needing some time to think alone. **Ah well** Yoshirou thought as he started to catch up with the main group, Renji having departed when he wasn't watching. He caught the ends of the conversation between them, Kurosaki saying "…The fact that he never said anything means he doesn't know how to stop it either. He did enough by training me. I'm very grateful for that. That's why I don't want to hound him with questions..." Yoshirou slapped him on the back, making him jump in surprise. "Hey, what's this you're going on about, let me hear too!"-Yoshirou said, catching everybody else by surprise. "Yoshirou-kun! …why aren't you wearing anything for a shirt?"-Inoue asked, first happy to see him, then curious about his condition.

"Oh, just a casualty of war, all my uniforms seem to be destroyed one way or the other, their going to start charging me for them soon."-Yoshirou answered, however the joke seemed to not reach Kurosaki, who had completely fallen silent upon noticing his presence. "And Rukia, I put you in a healing barrier for a reason, not so that you can break out of it!"-Yoshirou said, pulling an annoyed face at her. However, she seemed to have fallen back into a more formal manner, saying "Thank you for healing me, Yoshirou, but I couldn't just wait; I had to know what was happening."

"Well, if it makes up for it, that bastard who injured you is going home minus an arm, and nobody has been hurt irreparably."-Yoshirou reassured her. Rukia's eyes widened at hearing that asking-"…you beat that monster?" Yoshirou shook his head at that-"No, he was forced to retreat by one of his allies, I didn't actually beat him. Had he not been forced to retreat things could have gotten ugly, he was super pissed after losing his arm." Yoshirou could sense Kurosaki tensing up, he really was badly affected by his defeat. **…no that's not it…** Yoshirou thought. Placing both hands behind his head, he said "Stop worrying about him being so strong Kurosaki, things would have gone better were it not for your condition. I don't understand much about it, but you got something going on inside right? Don't worry about being beaten until you've got that fixed up, Aizen just got a big middle finger from us, everybody he sent in was either killed or forced to retreat, he won't be coming back for a while."-Yoshirou said to him, finally getting a response from Kurosaki.

"…how long have you known?"-Kurosaki asked quietly, but Yoshirou just laughed. "Since I first met you, nobody carries hollow masks for trinkets, especially not ones that miraculously save your life. Also I had a run in with *him* before, god he's a nasty bugger."-Yoshirou said, making Kurosaki raise an eyebrow at him. Yoshirou quickly explained-"He took over your body for a few minutes during your training, I ended up having to fight him. Nasty little bugger, I couldn't risk fighting properly but he still managed to catch me off guard, would have been me dead if he didn't stop." This got Rukia's attention now, she had never heard of a hollow choosing to leave a shinigami alive rather than kill. "However, he's clever as well, he convinced me to not tell you since any distractions against Byakuya would have meant your death." Kurosaki pulled a face at that-"He tried to take over during my fight, although I hate to admit it, he really did help me against Byakuya, I was almost about to be killed when he took over. By the time I regained control, Byakuya was a mess, bleeding from two massive wounds, if he hadn't done that, I might have died."

Yoshirou thought for a second then. **The hollow was able to take over his body to help in battle? That's insane! That's almost saying the hollow is part of his soul, like a zanpakuto would be!** A thought occurred to Yoshirou as he halted his walking, everybody else slowing to a halt as well. "Have you tried Jinzen to fight it? Perhaps it's like a zanpakuto, you must force it to submission to win. I can't tell for sure, but it seems suppressing it won't work much longer, your going to have to fight it to win…"-Yoshirou explained, although he lost momentum when he noticed the rather blank look Kurosaki was giving him, Rukia nearby rolling her eyes at him. "Ichigo probably doesn't even know what Jinzen is."-Rukia explained, Kurosaki exclaiming out in anger towards her before she spun about asking-"Well do you?" Kurosaki froze, before grudgingly returning his attention to Yoshirou, his loss obvious in the argument.

**Like a bloody married couple** Yoshirou thought, noticing the strange forlorn look on Inoue's face at the same time. "Well, I'm afraid if you don't know about Jinzen, it might take too long to teach you it, I don't think you have the time…"-Yoshirou said, thinking hard to himself. However, Kurosaki suddenly spun about, turning to leave. "Ichigo…"-Rukia said quietly. "C'mon, we need to get going."-Kurosaki said. Rukia bowed to Yoshirou, as if apologizing for his actions, before catching up with the Substitute Shinigami. Inoue and Yoshirou were left standing alone. "...well, Kurosaki-kun always does his own thing, he just needs some time to think on this, Yoshirou-kun."-Inoue said quietly, before suddenly attempting to clap her hands together, before forgetting that she had an injured arm, quietly saying "owowow…" as she rubbed the injured arm. "You want me to have a look at that?"-Yoshirou asked, but Inoue quickly started waving her hand to placate him. "Oh no! I can heal it myself when I get home! What I wanted to say was that if you need somewhere to stay, you can stay at my place! Hitsugaya-san and Matsumoto-san are staying with me, but since I live alone, the more people the better!"-Inoue said happily, smiling hopefully that he would accept.

However, Yoshirou shook his head, explaining-"I'm probably not going to be staying long, maybe a few days at best, I can crash at Urahara's till then." Inoue looked at him with surprise. "But there's so many people staying there, they have Urahara-san, Tessai-san, Renji-kun-"-Inoue started to say, but Yoshirou just said-"I'm sure he can put up with one more shinigami, besides I need to see to getting a Gigai, might as well do so now. Thanks for the nice offer, but I'm fine." Inoue looked like she might give it another shot to convince him to change his mind, but gave up, instead turning down a different street, saying-"Well, I'm off home then as well. See you another time!" She walked down the new road after giving a slight wave to him.

**She still confuses me, I can't tell whether she's an airhead or just too open** Yoshirou thought as he started heading for the Urahara store, opting to run instead of using shunpo, he needed to stretch his muscles or they were going to start cramping on him. He still made a bullet train look slow with his speed though. As he ran, he started to think on what he had just gone through.** I knew the Espada was going to be strong, but in all honesty it was only because he was holding back I got him anyway. I doubt I would have lasted long if he had been serious, these guys really are starting to outclass me, what the hell is with these monsters Aizen is making? Does combining the powers of a hollow and a shinigami really result in that kind of power? Is there really much hope in that we as shinigami can defeat them?**

_Stop thinking that way, their not as monstrous as you think. You can still become strong enough to fight them, I mean you're the second Captain in history to attain the rank without a complete Bankai, behind that monster Kenpachi, and you're still getting stronger. That Espada showed about as much power as what Aizen showed when you fought on Soukyoku hill, but you're still alive. That means you are becoming stronger, and when you do gain your Bankai, you should be more than able to face them. Also, don't count the other Captains out, their powerful as well, more so than even you. We will defeat them, and that's all there is to it._

**Yeah, but I wish it was so easy to believe, I don't know for sure now… **Yoshirou thought as he vaulted a wall, realising the street he was on wasn't going to reach the Urahara store anyway.** But I still don't understand what Aizen intends with me, one second he tries to kill me, next it's made out that he's trying to turn me against the shinigami. I just don't understand it.**

_It's obvious; he's trying to drive a stake between you and the shinigami. Sowing mistrust in a prolonged war is sometimes more effective than fighting at all, he's trying to make it easier for himself. It's simple in the end; do you want to listen to him?_

**Hell no, I never really gave a crap about my past before Yamamoto told me; it's not going to change anything now. If Aizen thinks by appealing to a past that I really couldn't care less about will stop me, then he is getting a tad desperate. Knowing about my past is something that helps me understand what I am; it's not a weakness he can exploit. And there was me thinking he knew what he was doing, trying to use hostages against me. I'm starting to think it was only a spur of the moment thing using a hostage on the execution day. Oh well, the longer he thinks he can try and convert me, the longer I have to train to fight him, it makes things easier in the end. **Yoshirou concluded as he reached the Urahara store.** …but perhaps this is something I had best keep to myself, it won't affect me knowing, but if others suspect then Aizen has managed what he wanted-… **

Suddenly, just before entering the store (noticing off hand that somebody had restored the door he had broken already), Yoshirou paused, trying to make sense of something Tosen had said.** …What if that whole thing of *wanting to see me alone* was bullshit? If I think of it that way, is it possible he's aiming to try and make a gap between me and Kurosaki specifically? He did say Grimmjow's target was us two specifically, what if we were meant to be together when he heard the message… **It suddenly dawned on Yoshirou that Aizen's plan may have been better than he thought.** …Oh hell, Aizen made us two his targets, he knew that both I and Kurosaki would go for the strongest foe, and Grimmjow had a better chance of finding Kurosaki before me, if the message itself is a trap, then he managed it perfectly. Kurosaki has no idea what my whole past is, if he thinks I might go AWOL because of Aizens words, he could turn against me very easily. He doesn't know me as well as the shinigami do, he probably doesn't trust me that well…**

Yoshirou's thoughts were now troubled, realising that Aizen might have indeed succeeded in planting the first seeds of doubt, his own resolve was strong enough to resist, but it was the doubt in his allies Aizen was aiming for. If he turned them against him, everything would be resolved for him. Pushing his troubled thoughts aside, Yoshirou walked into the store, hoping to see somebody inside to greet him. However, the whole place seemed empty, except for a green light coming from the back rooms. Walking between the shelves and quickly hoping into the back area, he found Urahara walking out of a room to greet him, his usual smile lost on his face. **What the hell's happened?** Yoshirou thought, realising the tint of colour from the light had to be a spell. Urahara went to say his greeting, but Yoshirou carefully walked past him and into the back room.

On the floor was a shocking sight, blood covering a blanket that the girl from the store, Ururu was lying on. Tessai was kneeling beside her, sweating slightly from the effort in the spell he was using, desperately trying to heal the massive injury on the girl's body. Yoshirou kneeled beside Tessai in silence, trying to figure out just what had happened. It seemed like the girl had been impaled through the chest by a massive object. Yoshirou could hear her saying "Kisuke-san…" weakly, trying to call out for the store owner. Across the other side of the room, Yoshirou could see that somebody was sitting outside the room, red head hidden in his hands. Urahara quickly sat down on the opposite side of the sheet, quietly taking the young girls hand to reassure her. Yoshirou could tell from the impression on the floor he had been there for quite a while already, he must have gotten up to greet him.

Yoshirou thought quickly to himself, rather than asking what had happened. He didn't have enough reiatsu left to attempt any proper healing; he had enough to perhaps seal the wound, but not enough to fully heal it. Watching Tessai's magic at work, he instantly realised how he could help. Tessai's spell was having trouble working because of the amount of blood Ururu was losing, it was having to battle constantly to keep her supported while trying to heal the wound. **Taiyou, could you help a little?** Yoshirou asked as he started putting his own reiatsu in his hands, watching as the hands changed from green to gold. Urahara watched him extremely closely as Yoshirou carefully laid his hands close to the wound, beside Tessai's own hands.

Using the same trick that he had done with Hanatarou's help in Soul Society, Yoshirou guided his own reiatsu into the wound, discovering just how drastic the wound was. He also realised straight away that Ururu couldn't be human, her heart had been hit by the wound but she was still alive. Ignoring this new fact for now, he carefully sealed the wound with his own reiatsu, halting the bleeding process. "Tessai, I can only stop the bleeding, I don't have the reiatsu to heal her, that's going to have to be your part."-Yoshirou explained to Tessai, who had halted temporarily, unsure whether he should continue while Yoshirou was doing this. Nodding without saying a word, Tessai continued his work.

(10 minutes later)

Yoshirou fell back on his backside, now even more tired than before. In the end, he had to attempt to heal her as well, Tessai's spell wasn't designed to restore complex organs, he hadn't even been aware that Ururu's heart had also been damaged. When Tessai realised it, he nearly gave up on trying to heal her, since without the exact required healing spells, organs could come back cancerous if attempted to be healed without the right spell. Yoshirou had been forced to pull into his reiatsu reserves even more to restore the damaged organ, although he was unable to continue sealing the wound after restoring the heart. However, that was enough, Tessai's spell wasn't having trouble with blood loss, it was the organ that had been the trouble. With that healed, Tessai's healing spell finished very quickly, faster than Yoshirou's own spells do. Ururu was now sleeping soundly, she had fallen asleep after Yoshirou had stabilised her body, no longer wracked by the pain from her wounds.

Beside him, Urahara sighed deeply in relief. "Thank you for helping there Yoshirou, I was actually worried she wouldn't pull through for a minute, thank you for coming when you did."-Urahara said, laying a hand on Yoshirou's shoulder, all normal humour replaced by a sincere humility in his words. Yoshirou shrugged, moving across the room so he could lean more comfortably against the wall. "How did this happen?"-Yoshirou asked, keeping quiet so as not to wake the girl. "It was my fault, as you're probably know she's not a human, she's a Gigai and artificial soul product. Both of the children are, at first they were experiments, but their personalities are so perfectly human they ended up becoming part of the "family" so to speak. However, during the earlier days, I modified Ururu with a special sensor for threats towards the store, designed to neutralise threats quickly and efficiently. "Genocide mode" I named it, it was designed to react to hollows and strange reiatsu sources, but I never deactivated it. It never occurred to me she might attack an arrancar, over the years I've almost forgotten what those two are, so I forgot that they have programming in them."

"She tried to neutralize the threat that came too close to the store, an arrancar of decent strength. By the time I had returned, she was already in this state… I never predicted that there would be a second attack so soon after the initial incursion, so I didn't think there any risk if we were absent from the store, a costly mistake on my behalf."-Urahara explained, his face showing that he was taking it bad that he had let things get so ugly. Sitting down facing Yoshirou, he kneeled, putting his hand on his head, he took off his usual cap, saying-"I owe you a debt of gratitude for your help, thank you again." Yoshirou laughed quietly, saying back-"Humility really doesn't suit you, how am I supposed to deal with a person who treats me so highly? Well, if you want to pay me back, mind If I stay here a while?" Urahara's head snapped up in surprise at the request, before smiling slightly. "A man say's he owes you a debt and you collect on it by asking for a roof over your head for a few days? You don't respect what you could get if that's all you ask for; I would have put you up with a room with or without a debt."

Sanding back up, pulling his robes straight again, Urahara said-"I can give you the backroom Yoruichi normally uses, she probably wont be returning here tonight due to what she's working on so her room is free. I'm assuming since your staying that you will need a Gigai as well?" Yoshirou nodded wearily, which got a big smile from Urahara. "I just had a brilliant idea, would you like to test out one of my newer inventions? I haven't been able to test trial it yet, but since you're in need of a Gigai, you can try it out!"-Urahara said, beaming at the prospect. Yoshirou instantly was on high alert, he knew prototypes rarely worked like people wanted, he even had a few of his own prototypes detonate in his face. "Yoshirou, you don't think I'd ask you to try something risky would you?"-Urahara asked, noticing the face he was pulling. The nod that came afterwards drew an exasperated sigh from Urahara.

"Look, this prototype is a build off of existing technology, worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work quite as I intended, I take you out of the Gigai, give you a normal one, everybody's happy. BUT, if this does work like I most definitely believe it will, you get a new state of the art technology all for yourself! A Gigai that is a massive improvement on the original design most shinigami use! You should take the offer up; worst that can happen is a bit of a longer wait on getting a Gigai."-Urahara urged. Eventually, Yoshirou gave in, saying-"All right, I'll take it."

Urahara smiled happily as he said-"I'll get right to work on it then, you should…" However, it was cut off by a ringing noise. Curious, Yoshirou listened as Tessai picked up the phone outside the room. "Urahara-store, how may we help?"-Tessai asked, surprising Yoshirou. "The store is open at these hours?"-Yoshirou asked Urahara, but Urahara waved his hand to quieten him, saying off hand-"To those that have the number for the store, yes." Tessai suddenly called out-"Yoshirou-dono, it is for you!" Urahara looked at him with surprise at hearing that. Yoshirou was also surprised as he heaved himself up from the floor, making it to the hallway where Tessai had the phone. He took the phone, saying-"Yoshirou here, why on earth is somebody calling me here?" The voice at the opposite end surprised him massively. "Hey, figured you would be here."-Kurosaki answered. "Need you to meet me tomorrow, by the park where the first attack was, I'll tell you more there, I don't want Rukia overhearing me. Just see you there."-Kurosaki said, before suddenly hanging up. **The hell?** Yoshirou thought as he put the phone down. **Kurosaki wants to see me?**

(P.O.V change) (10 minutes later)

Urahara was down in his work area, putting the finishing touches on his master piece. It had taken only a few seconds of work to form the Gigai into the required shape to fit it's user after he had implanted a small amount of Yoshirou's reiatsu into it. The more troubling part was the clothing, although he thought that the ones he had decided upon in the end would be perfectly fine, a white tank top and black three quarter length shorts, if he disliked it he could just go buy new ones. Tessai walked into the room as Urahara started to put the final touches to the additional modifications he had been working on. "Tenshou, your giving him the experimental Gigai? I thought those were being kept for our comrades across town."-Tessai asked, standing to attention by the door.

"Yes, but I think he deserves one as well, especially if he truly is being targeted by Aizen. I would offer one to Kurosaki-san as well, but he obviously prefers his human body over a specialized container. If these versions succeed, then obviously I'll make more for the Vizards."-Urahara said, modifying one of the incantations he was using. "But Tenshou, surely it would be more trouble if Soul Society discovers he has one of these Gigai, they could realise the Vizards really are hiding in Karakura"-Tessai responded, but Urahara waved him away, saying-"The Sou Taichou isn't about to go hunting them when he has Aizen on his hands already, their safe. The one who isn't is him, he's being far too open, he went into this realm without authorization just to fight the Espada. If it weren't for the Sou Taichou being lenient with him, he'd be in big trouble with the brass. He's going to prove vital in the upcoming war, we can't let him be killed before he gains his full power, if giving this to him makes him slightly safer, then all the more reason for it."

Tessai nodded, accepting his words. He already knew just how vital the boy was, his abilities made him practically unique, the light zanpakuto, both healing and combat abilities, Kido mastery that perhaps surpassed his own, an iron cast will to fight, a practical genius in the battlefield. Had he known everything that Yoshirou had been capable of when he was first accepted into his squad, he would have been able to guide the boy better. For now, all he could do was prepare for the war to come, and hope the boy succeeded in becoming powerful enough to foil Aizen's plans. Soul Society had only a few trump cards, the might of the Sou Taichou, the potential allies in the Vaizards, the substitute shinigami who had never seen Aizen's zanpakuto, and the light zanpakuto's weilder, who was resistant to Aizen's power. Against that, an unknown army of any number of individuals who had already proven themselves to be a match for the Captains, and the three deserter captains alongside that. The scales were tipped precariously, if Soul Society lost Yoshirou or Kurosaki, then everything would go badly, heaven help them all if both men were lost. If by some chance Yoshirou and Kurosaki were killed before Aizen was defeated, Soul Society would be defenceless against their foe, it would be all over.

* * *

**Well sorry for the boring chapter, i'll try to make future ones more interesting. Those who know the canon storyline obviously know what is coming next, what did Kurosaki do after returning to the park after fighting Grimmjow? That's coming up next!**

**(1)Kikinshinki: Account replacing spirit device, it's Rukia's little tool to replace humans memories, normally only held by assigned towns shinigami, Rukia being the former shinigami assigned to Karakura town.**

**(1) Hakufaku: the unidentified spell Hinamori used to knock out a guard in the SS arc, I'm assuming it's a spell that hypnotises the foe into unconsciousness.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, new chapter up now. A bit of story change again, I'm kinda playing Yoshirou's role a bit more into the story now, everything will follow as Tite Kubo put it until we reach the ending area's, since the main bleach story is incomplete, I may have to make up my own ending to it all. Anyhow, hopefully this chapter will be better than the previous, just have fun reading!**

* * *

Yoshirou woke up pretty early the next day. Looking about the room he was in with some confusion, he quickly remembered the events of the other night. His thoughts flashed between the insane grin on the face of the Espada, his pure joy at the carnage he wreaked. The huge clash of powers as their respective techniques tried to break past each other, the pressure from their clashing distorting the air about them. Kurosaki's face after being totally trashed by his opponent, his eyes both angry at his foe and at himself. The promise he made with the human girl to protect Karakura town, her defiance despite her weakness.

**Never a moment of rest is there?** Yoshirou mused as he thought more on getting up. However, he found his attempts to rise defeated by a weight on his chest. Looking down, he saw a cat staring back at him, the expression in its face more annoyed that it had been awoken so abruptly. "…Yoruichi, why are you sleeping on me?"-Yoshirou asked the cat as it yawned widely. "The better question is what are you doing in my room? You have the only bed in here, and in respects to others, I decided not to sleep in the same bed."-Yoruichi said back in her gruff voice as she lightly leapt off of him, back onto the floor. Yoshirou sat up, rubbing his head as he asked-"So you finally decided to stop taking the mick out of me?" The cat seemingly shrugged, it was hard to tell. "It would be a bit unfair on others I suppose, much fun as it was to see your reactions." **Unfair?** Yoshirou mused, before dismissing the cat's words. **It's too early to play mind games with that woman.**

"Urahara told me you weren't coming back so I could borrow the room."-Yoshirou said as he stood up, stretching his arms. However, he froze upon noticing the cat was watching him. "Oh, don't worry about me; keep showing that nice toned body, I don't mind."-Yoruichi said off hand, making Yoshirou blaze red as he remembered he had disintegrated the top half of his robes again. Quickly striding to a nearby cupboard, Yoshirou found an old dressing gown and threw that on to cover his body up. "I thought you weren't going to annoy me again?"-Yoshirou asked irritably, to which Yoruichi laughed back-"Whatever gave you that idea? I said I'd stop trying to play seducer with you, but I'm within all rights to watch hot bodies whenever I want. Unless of course you'd prefer me to?" At that, Yoruichi started to glow slightly. Recognising the magic, Yoshirou quickly walked out of the room, he had far too many run ins with the naked Yoruichi already. "Prude!"-Yoruichi shouted out from her room, her voice obviously a woman's once again.

Walking into the main room, he noticed that Renji was already sitting down to eat, although judging from how he was sitting; he had been listening in on the two. "Heh, are you gay or something? You have Flash Goddess Yoruichi, one of the hottest women in Soul Society giving you free shows and you run for it? Christ, I bet you're still a virgin too."-Renji taunted as Yoshirou sat down at the table. "I've had more luck with women than you ever will Renji. Don't tell me you've ever had a woman showing her body to you."-Yoshirou said calmly. Renji seemed about to reply, but couldn't think of a decent retort. Growling, he tucked into his food instead. "Look at the freeloader go!"-Jinta called out as he entered the room, laughing at Renji, who barked back-"Shut up!"

"Hey, tall guy, you're not going to get anything to eat?"-Jinta said, speaking to Yoshirou. Yoshirou laughed, saying-"If eating gets me the free loader title as well, I'll just go find some food elsewhere." Jinta shrugged, saying-"Well, you've done more than the useless pineapple there, I can refrain from insulting you for today." "What the hell was that!"-Renji called back at him. "I said useless pineapple! If you had done something yesterday…!"-Jinta started to shout back, before restraining himself, biting his own lip. **Oh, he's still upset over Ururu getting hurt yesterday** Yoshirou realised. **Urahara was right, those two do fully seem like humans, I didn't even notice the difference in their reiatsu's like I did with Nemu. Urahara really is a genius if he was able to literally create human like forms.**

"Anyway, tall guy, thanks for trying to help last night."-Jinta said grudgingly, pulling another face at Renji as he left the room. "What's his feud?"-Renji asked as the partition door was slammed behind Jinta. Yoshirou sighed as he stood up, explaining-"He probably see's it like you failed to protect the other girl. She was in a right mess when I got here, she probably wouldn't have made it if I didn't help out. He'll probably get over it once Ururu has recovered fully, just try and outlive the insults till then." Yoshirou heard Renji mutter-"easy for you to say" as he left. **Jeez, that Jinta kid really is upset over this **Yoshirou thought as he walked into the back room to check on the patient. He was incredibly surprised at what he saw. Ururu was folding the futon she had slept on away, wearing her usual store shirt and skirt as if nothing had happened last night.

"Erm, Ururu, your up already?"-Yoshirou asked quietly as he stepped in, making the girl jump slightly. She bowed to him politely, before saying-"I wanted to tidy up this room a little, it's one of the jobs I do about the store, keep the place neat and tidy" "No, I meant your injury from last night, are you sure you should be up so fast?"-Yoshirou asked. Ururu nodded, before saying-"Don't worry, I'm fine, thank you for helping to heal me last night, I'm very grateful for your help." Again, she bowed politely, before giving a small smile, and getting back to work. **…wow, most definitely not human, she was injured that badly yet perfectly recovered in the morning?** Yoshirou thought as he watched the young girl finish putting the futon away, before retrieving a broom from the cupboard and sweeping the floor.

"Good work, Ururu!"-Urahara suddenly called from behind Yoshirou, making him jump this time. "Th-Thank you, Kisuke-san."-Ururu said, smiling happily at the compliment. Yoshirou turned about to face Urahara, but Urahara continued talking to Ururu-"If it's not too much trouble for you, can you please go and fetch a new Soul Phone from the store rooms?" "Okay."-Ururu replied cheerfully, apparently happy that she was being asked to do something helpful. She put the broom aside as she waited politely for Yoshirou to move, before going past him and off somewhere else. "Is it really alright that she's up already?"-Yoshirou asked concerned, but Urahara waved his fan at him, smiling brightly. "Now, now, if Ururu wants' to do something, I wouldn't be the one to stop her. It might surprise you, but she's incredibly strong, she's stronger than most shinigami are. Although she wouldn't harm a fly normally, I wouldn't test the waters if I were you."

"Now!"-Urahara suddenly announced, walking out of the room. "If you would follow me, your Gigai is ready for collection!" Yoshirou was surprised, if the Gigai was already done, Urahara would have had to work during the night to finish it. After going out through the back entrance of the store, Yoshirou watched as Urahara suddenly made a rapid amount of seals with his hands, complex ones that Yoshirou didn't recognise. Suddenly, the air seemed to crack before him, revealing a building which Yoshirou had never seen before. "Now, normally I wouldn't show people into my workshop…"-Urahara said as he walked forward, reaching for the door that now stood before him. "…but since we are testing a prototype, it may be easier to come here."

As Urahara opened the door, Yoshirou was surprised to see the inside. It reminded him of a typical garden shed, but much bigger. The entire place was a haphazard mess of different inventions, part completed devices and spare equipment. "I wouldn't look down on the mess mind; I know exactly where everything is!"-Urahara said as he expertly weaved between massive piles of equipment. Yoshirou looked at the mess about three times, searching for a clear way through, before giving up. He leapt to the ceiling, using the reishi in the air above to walk upon the new surface. The equipment piles didn't reach as high as the ceiling so he was relatively safe. Urahara reached a clearer area, one which looked like it was used much more than the rest of the lab. Turning back, he looked about the room in confusion, before looking up at Yoshirou. "I'm not sure what is so appealing about the ceiling Yoshirou-san, but looking up at it slightly hurts my neck, so could you come down here?" Urahara asked. Yoshirou apologised as he released his control, flipping in mid air to land lightly on the floor.

Urahara turned about to unlock some kind of body sized canister behind him, before stepping away to show the new Gigai that had been made. As Yoshirou expected, the Gigai was a perfect copy of him, although on closer inspection there was a few subtle differences due to the Gigai being a perfect body, while Yoshirou had a couple of tiny scars about his own body from past fights. "Now, there's been a couple of upgrades as far as your Gigai goes, free of charge for you luckily."-Urahara explained as Yoshirou noticed the clothing choice that his Gigai had. **A bit retro, but I suppose it's good for the weather** Yoshirou thought as he saw the plain white tank top, the three quarter length shorts (complete with far too many pockets, Yoshirou could never understand what was so important about having about six pockets on a pair of shorts) and the plain white trainers for the feet.

"Now, your Gigai has been specifically designed with a new template. The Gigai itself is actually pretty much a human body construct rather than a soul construct. Its specific design is to make it easier to control your reiatsu while within the Gigai, and it also since it was created by implanting your own reiatsu into the design rather than just designed after you, the body set up is a perfect replication of your own shinigami body. It means that you won't suffer from the normal problem of the body starting to act up over extended periods of time. The best comparison would be to say your Gigai is now alike to a human in most ways."

"Most way's?"-Yoshirou asked, surprised by half the things he was hearing. Some of them sounded a little redundant, but increased connectivity to the body did sound better. "Yes, but you should be able to use your full powers while within the Gigai." That had Yoshirou jump in surprise. Most of the time a Gigai was designed to be more human, and not to allow excess reiatsu escape, it meant using your powers while in a Gigai wasn't really possible. You could use Kido, but not to the higher levels, and you couldn't use a zanpakuto at all. "Also, since it is in sync with your powers, both when you use and when you exit the Gigai, you don't have the problem of the Gigai being resistant. In other terms, you have perfect alignment with the body, yet perfect freedom to exit and enter the Gigai. Of course, I would still advise you use a Gikongan, since I would rather this prototype doesn't get damaged, but from what I hear you use a rather special one."

"Yeah, Kai (1) is my special Gikongan, I managed to get one of the original Kaizou Konpaku from project Spearhead. I've used him since as far back as I can remember; he's a unique type since he has a full body empowerment rather than a particular body part empowerment. He could pass a Gigai off as a superhero, something he did once, ever heard of that mysterious justice fighter in Tokyo? I forgot I left him in my Gigai and he had fun for a month while I was in Soul Society. Unfortunately, I didn't bring him with me."-Yoshirou said, Urahara smiling at the strange description of the mod soul. "Well, I think we have a spare Momone, or a Gringo if you want to use one of them until you can get Kai."

Yoshirou didn't recognise the names, but said-"I think I'll take the Momone one (2)" Urahara raised an eyebrow at the choice, but didn't continue with it. "As I was saying, your full abilities should be useable inside the Gigai, but the Gigai will automatically conceal your reiatsu for you whenever not in use, making it theoretically impossible to be tracked, a special feature that I thought you would like, considering Aizen is still after you. Unfortunately, there's no way to replicate your…body specific abilities. This Gigai will not be able to regenerate nor seal wounds that it has; using it in combat is a last alternative option. Its overall endurance is higher than your own body, and if it does get damaged, healing Kido should work just fine."-Urahara finished explaining.

He then pressed a couple of buttons there were concealed inside the pod. A brace appeared that lifted the body clear of the pod, and stood it up before the men. "Well, time to see if it all works!"-Urahara happily said, waving his hand toward the Gigai to encourage Yoshirou to use it. Yoshirou dropped the gown that he had borrowed earlier, he doubted since it was a human realm product it would be able to go into the Gigai anyway, and he had no desire to come out for battle in an old dressing gown. Stepping forward, he turned away from the Gigai, carefully stepping backwards into the body. He felt a bit disorientated for a second, before he could see straight again. **That's odd** Yoshirou thought as he walked forward. **Have I actually stepped into the Gigai yet?**

Raising one arm up, he saw that indeed he was now within the Gigai, although he couldn't actually tell the difference. "Wow, your Gigai's are a hell of a lot better than the ones issued by Soul Society."-Yoshirou said, discovering the movements for talking felt exactly in line with his own body. However, he noticed Urahara frowning at the creation. "Yoshirou-san, can you draw on your reiatsu please?"-Urahara requested, carefully looking about the body. Yoshirou did what he asked, finding just like Urahara said, the body perfectly kept up with the sudden increase, none of the usual limiters in place. However, Urahara sighed in annoyance. "Failure, the zanpakuto failed to appear after you stepped into the Gigai, it seems the reiatsu system that automatically seals your reiatsu when not in use means your sword doesn't appear. Seems its back to the drawing board, you can get out now, just focus on your spiritual presence, then step away."

Yoshirou however had an idea, focusing on his spiritual power; he tried to summon his zanpakuto out, like how he used to summon the sword from long distances. His reiatsu flared about him for a second, before reforming before his outstretched arm, his zanpakuto and sheath appearing together in his grip. "Oh, well that's an interesting trick you have their, you can reform your zanpakuto by will, using light? Well that's perfect! Better than I had hoped! You don't have to carry a zanpakuto on your person in the human world, that would make fitting in much easier!"-Urahara said happily, although his face fell for a second, muttering quietly "but it can't be used by normal shinigami, it's still not going to work…"

While Urahara mused to himself, Yoshirou concentrated on leaving the body. He found the transition perfect; he was able to simply walk out without any need to use force. Laughing, he walked back into the Gigai, before testing his usual abilities out. He summoned a small ball of reiatsu, confirming his Kido worked fine, before trying to stand on the air. The transition was perfect, he really did feel like he had his normal body just as it always was. However, he found out that every time he stopped focusing, his reiatsu would vanish totally, a rather strange feeling since he wasn't used to the feeling of having no reiatsu. He didn't feel exhausted, but he didn't feel his normal strength either. He punched out before him, surprised to see the motion had once again activated his reiatsu. **So, the Gigai responds to my intent, if I walk, I walk normally. If a punch, then my reiatsu unlocks as well, the intention of punching being what triggered it. This really is one insane invention; I suppose it's perfect if your missions are of a stealth nature, but not for much else, why on earth would Urahara be designing something like this unless he was hiding something?**

_Perhaps this was for his own use, but now he's been forgiven for his actions, he no longer needs it? It doesn't really matter, this is a perfect body for you, just be grateful and accept it._

**Yeah…** Yoshirou finished thinking as he watched Urahara tinker with the pod, the brace system retreating away. Turning back to Yoshirou, he said-"Well, if you're satisfied with the product, then you can have the prototype! Consider it a big thanks for all the help you've rendered me. Now, if memory serves me correct, you have a meeting to attend." Yoshirou sighed in an annoyed style, running his new body's hand through his hair. "Yeah, Kurosaki said he wanted to meet, but didn't actually specify the time."-Yoshirou said, with Urahara laughed at that. Urahara started to weave his way back to the exit, Yoshirou followed via the ceiling again. However, before they exited, Urahara suddenly pulled a dispenser from a pile, throwing it up to Yoshirou.

Yoshirou looked at the dispenser, seeing the cute design of a brown bear atop a gikongan dispenser (3). Quickly realising this had to be the Gikongan Urahara talked about; Yoshirou pocketed it in one of the new zipper pockets on his shorts. **Damn glad I have decent experience with new clothes and tech **Yoshirou thought, remembering the days when his work got too much for him and he took short vacations in the Human Realm. It still beggared belief how such technology like mobile phones were readily available in the human realm, yet even head sets were almost impossible to come by in Soul Society. Landing back on the workshop floor, Yoshirou walked out behind Urahara. Urahara quickly turned, going through another set of seals to conceal his workshop. "Urahara, what exactly is that magic?"-Yoshirou asked as the workshop was concealed once more. Yoshirou walked forward to touch the barrier, only to walk straight through it…and onwards. **Holy shit, spatial magic on a massive scale!** Yoshirou realised as Urahara whistled to himself, ignoring the question he had been given in favour of a different one. "While Tessai and I were hiding, Tessai developed some very interesting spells based off his earlier work. Suffice to say I doubt anybody other than I or Tessai could use them, and even if you did know, what could you use it on?"

Yoshirou just stood there flabbergasted as Ururu came across the empty grounds, handing something to Urahara. A quiet thank you later and the girl disappeared again, another glad smile on her face. "Yoshirou-san, this is for you!"-Urahara said, throwing the soul phone that he had asked Ururu to retrieve earlier to him. Yoshirou nearly missed catching it, fumbling the phone in mid air for a few seconds before finally getting a good hold on the object. "With this we can keep contact while you're here, and you can send any reports back to Soul Society, perhaps you might want to start with a long apology to the Sou Taichou about breaking rules again?" Yoshirou gulped as he considered just how much trouble he was going to be in when he returned. **Yamamoto will probably do the whole risking your life for no reason talk again **Yoshirou thought annoyed.

_With good reason I don't doubt, especially after we learnt the enemies' mission was to encounter you specifically. You played right into their hands by coming to protect everyone._

**Bah, I'll just have to clear up the facts with Kurosaki and hope he doesn't start acting weird about me** Yoshirou thought as he opened the phone, checking some of the applications out. He quickly found a list of hollow within the phone noted as high risk targets**. I was right, Karakura is crawling with these buggers** Yoshirou thought as he closed the phone, not noticing that the map had a strange bunching of readings located in a building nearby, all tagged as anomalies. "Well, I'm going to head off now."-Yoshirou said, quickly preparing to use shunpo. "Yoshirou-san, no tricks like that please!"-Urahara reminded, having sensed the fluctuations in the reishi about him as he prepared to leave. "It's going to be old fashioned walking for you today!"

**Oh damn it, I forgot for a second this was a Gigai** Yoshirou thought as he stopped manipulating the reishi about him. "You wouldn't happen to know the way to the park then?"

(1 hour later)

**This towns a bit bigger than I thought** Yoshirou concluded as he finally reached his target, the park. He had found the Gigai was working perfectly, even the minute movements when he was forced to weave between humans in the crowds were perfect, an exact copy of how his original body would have worked. **The alignment is miles better than any Gigai I've used before** Yoshirou concluded as he walked along the path. **Normally, too much alignment means you get jammed into the Gigai, but this ones perfect, I can both enter and leave it fluently. It's a bit odd that I have to materialise my zanpakuto with my will, but it works fine for me. He could make a fortune if he tried patenting this design.**

_Yoshirou, have you forgotten already? This was a secret prototype for an unknown reason, why would he patent a design that was made for a purpose to keep the user hidden?_

**Yeah I suppose your right **Yoshirou said as he waved his hand before him, trying to dispel a cloud of midges that were floating in his way. Looking about where he was, he quickly realised he was in the wrong area, this place was teeming with people enjoying themselves, no massive craters where battles had taken place on show. Nearby, he noticed an Ice Cream van with a small queue of customers. **Well, it's hot** Yoshirou thought as he joined the queue, quickly trying to remember how to make use of the currency Urahara had handed him before he left. A minute later, and some confusion at the van, Yoshirou ended up paying a slight bit more than he intended for the ice cream (1000 yen (4)), but was satisfied with his cone anyway.

It was about this time that he suddenly sensed a change in the reiatsu nearby. **Hollow?** Yoshirou thought as he started running towards the change. **…no, it's him again…** Yoshirou thought as he made his way through a load of trees, arriving at a clearing. In the middle, there was a crater, testimony to the invasion that had occurred only day's before. Standing over looking the crater was Kurosaki, hunched over as he stared into the pit. **Is he losing control again?** Yoshirou wondered as he jogged over. Kurosaki seemed to hear his approach, and turned his head. Yoshirou skidded to a stop at the sight; one of his eyes had black starting to creep slowly across it. Kurosaki scowled for a second, before the black started to retreat, his eye returning to its normal shade as his reiatsu came back under control, human once again.

"Hey, glad you could make it."-Kurosaki said as Yoshirou walked the remaining difference between them, slightly wary of the change he had just witnessed. "I couldn't ask anybody else to come with me today, especially not Rukia, she wouldn't understand I think."-Kurosaki said quietly as his stare returned once again to the hole. Yoshirou stood quietly, waiting for whatever Kurosaki wanted to say. "I'm losing this battle, its only time before he wins… unless I go to them now, it's going to be all over for me…"-Kurosaki continued quietly. "Go to whom?"-Yoshirou asked, unsure as to what Kurosaki was saying. Kurosaki scowled again towards the whole as he said-"the Vizards." Yoshirou stepped back as he heard the term, he had seen it during his research on the arrancar. The opposite to the arrancar, the Kamen no Gunzui (5), a theoretical group of Shinigami who had searched for and attained the powers of Hollow's. "That's dangerous territory, the Vaizado, Vizard's sorry, are a group of people who illegally searched to gain hollow abilities. Joining with them will put you in a dangerous position. I trust you in that you're not doing this for them, but Soul Society will not follow my will, if they learn you have joined them, I can't defend you."

Kurosaki turned to him, a steely look in his eyes. "What other choice do I have? It's either submit to them, or endanger all of those who are about me with what I will become! I would sooner kill myself first, but that won't help anybody… I have to do this!"-Kurosaki said. Yoshirou was surprised with the determination in the young human. Kurosaki smirked then, as he said-"Besides, if I can force it out of them, then there won't be any need to join them." Yoshirou raised his hands at this. "Kurosaki, these guys will be as good as the arrancar we faced, if not far better. They've had years to perfect their abilities, the arrancar we fought have only been recently awoken, they won't even compare to what your about to face, even I would fear trying anything like that. Your only hope is in that they will be hopefully trying to recruit you rather than deny you. I probably can't help you, they would sooner kill me than let me go if I try to aid you."

"I'm not asking you to aid me, just help me find them. I can barely sense reiatsu, but you must have some ability, I've never seen you caught off guard when people arrive. I'll bet you can identify people by reiatsu easily. It won't take much, just search for hollow's right?"-Kurosaki asked. Yoshirou thought for a second, unsure as to what to do now. **Finding them if their in Karakura would be a cinch, but surely there must be another way to solve Kurosaki's problem?** Yoshirou thought through potential alternatives, but every one he could think of was long term, none of them were possible short term. The only one he could think of was forcing Kurosaki to confront his hollow inside him, but he had no idea how to induce the Jinzen state on another individual if they didn't know it. "All right then…"-Yoshirou grudgingly said as he finished his cone off. Attuning his senses about him, he tried to search for the reiatsu he wanted.

"Oh fuck…"-Yoshirou said quietly as he found them. "Eight of them, and all of them are monstrously strong… but some of them feel familiar…slightly familiar. I won't be able to tell them out with that hollow signature they have. Anyway, I've found them; I think it won't take too long to locate them." Kurosaki nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "Well, lead the way then."

(40 minutes later)

Yoshirou and Kurosaki finally made it to the worn out district. It looked like an abandoned storage area, rusted warehouses everywhere. **Perfect hidey-hole** Yoshirou thought, the whole area was abandoned, meaning the Vizards were free to do what they wanted within the vicinity. "Well, it's about two warehouses along…"-Yoshirou said quietly, Kurosaki walking along beside him. Kurosaki grunted quietly in acknowledgement. "This is the last chance now, if you continue in, I'll bet even I can't get you back out if theses guys mean business."-Yoshirou said. "I know, don't worry, believe it or not I can take care of myself."-Kurosaki said, messing with something in his pocket. Yoshirou guessed it was some kind of item to assist him leaving his body, since there was no way he could fight in his human body. Yoshirou looked ahead; the massive door on the warehouse was already open. **Invitation?** Yoshirou wondered **or trap?**

"All right, thanks for guiding me here, you better get going."-Kurosaki said as he walked ahead of Yoshirou. Yoshirou laughed as he caught up again-"Hell no, if things get bad, your going to need somebody to cover your back. I can at least do that, 8 against 2 is better than 8 against 1. I also have decent support abilities that work amazingly well in a team, if you can cover me in a fight I might just be able to nullify any hollowification they try and use." Kurosaki looked at him in shock, but Yoshirou quickly said-"No promises mind, but since I can remove all reiatsu flow about me, then maybe I can deactivate their masks. Of course, that still leaves 8 vs you, but if these guys are normal shinigami, you might have a chance."

Kurosaki looked at him strangely for a second, before nodding. Both men walked forward together, into the warehouse. Yoshirou noticed instantly that the door was shutting behind the pair, although after Kurosaki didn't waver, he decided to ignore it. After the massive security shutter slammed down behind the pair, the room became hard to see in. Yoshirou's eyes detected that the floors had eroded through completely, leaving the two tiers of the warehouse completely visible from the ground floor. Multiple people were standing within the shadows of the floors and pillars. However, as his eyes adjusted, he heard one of the voices call out to them-"Good job findin' this place..." Both Kurosaki and Yoshirou looked up at the speaker. Yoshirou's eyes widened in complete shock of the man that he saw. Back from his memories, the man stood before them on the first tier of the building, yellow hair cut straight about his head. "…Ichigo"-Shinji finished saying, smiling his unique smile at the two men below.

* * *

**Well, this time we have a few more ending notes than usual, but next chapter we get to see the Vizards properly. BTW, memories fray over time, for a little while there's going to be some slight confusion between the Vizards and Yoshirou, especially since his Gigai makes him seem to be a perfect human, but their going to be a little nicer to Yoshirou then the normal shinigami's due to Kurosaki vouching for him. **

**As always, please review and suscribe if you liked the story!**

**(1) Kai was the name Kon wanted to be called, since the name was KAIzou KONpaku. I just thought I'd take the mick by stealing the name Kai for my mod soul.**

**(2)Oh this was a difficult choice, I wanted one to make fun of, either the Gringo which would kick it off against Ikkaku and Yumichika (Gringo was the mod soul Yumichika used in a filler ep), or one who would get him into a helluva lot of trouble with the women (Momone was the one Matsumoto used, but my version will be more like an over done Kon) The decision in the end was left to the sheer fact of how Yoshirou would cope if the Momone Gikongan ever got near Yoruichi, so good fun to see over all.**

**(3) Momone has no official symbol, but I remembered a certain meme everybody hates to love and loves to hate, the lovely Pedobear. I thought his mug atop a Gikongan dispenser would be perfect for Momone, since no other shown Gikongan has a bear symbol (I SO CLAIM THIS IDEA IF TITE KUBO PUTS IT IN HIS MANGA roflmao) FYI, Gringo has a panda symbol, which I don't consider to be a bear.**

**(4) A big mistake on his behalf, 1000 yen is about $11 or £8, far too much for an ice cream cone.**

**(5) It means the masked army, it's a term Tite Kubo used, so it's the correct name for them as well.**


	10. Chapter 10 The Vizards

**Heyo, real long chapter this time, I wasn't sure whether to make this into two seperate chapters or not, but in the end it's one massive one. This one took a little longer than usual cause of it's size. Had a bit of difficulty in trying to get the Vizards represented correctly (By the way, the whole argument between Kurosaki and Hiyori later was not inspired by the recent anime episode, that was my own work, and was typed up two days ago. Damn anime now makes it look like it was a copy of the whole Hitsugaya/Hiyori argument dammit.)**

**Oh well, have fun reading the chapter! (BTW, last note, Yoshirou's Gigai is perfect enough that it resembles a human, hopefully this might explain the first few paragraphs)**

**Ah yes, one more note. I'm getting slightly confused by my writer traffic, it seems that certain people skip chapters in favour of ones with fancy names. For example, the "Grimmjow" chapter has 24 readers, but the chapters before and after have 14. Also, the Chapter named "Truth" has twice as many views as the ones before and after it. Is it really so important that chapters have fancy names? Cause i'm getting slightly confused by it. I'll try naming this Chapter "Vizards", and see if the pattern reoccurs...**

* * *

Yoshirou looked up in shock at the person before him. **H-H-Hirako Shinji!** Yoshirou thought internally, mind reeling as he looked at the former Captain before him. **But he was killed!**

_Yoshirou, don't forget everything about that incident was because of Aizen, you can't regard any of it as true, I suppose the deaths of the Captains was also a cover up._

Yoshirou was still shocked by this though. A man thought dead years before, killed after a horrendous experiment made him into a hollow hybrid that was destroyed when a method to recover him could not be found. It wasn't just him though. **Wait, there's eight people here…** Yoshirou realised, going through his memories **…holy, all the Vizards are those who were involved in the incident!**

As he looked about, he now started to pick up familiar and slightly unfamiliar faces all about him. He instantly recognised many of them; the toned figure of the former 9th squad Captain, Muguruma Kensei was lounging about on the ground level, looking exactly as he had all those years ago. He could also see that Kyoraku's former subordinate, Lisa Yadomaru, had lost none of her amazing looks over the years; in fact she seemed to be opting to try and draw more attention to herself, a school girl uniform about her body. Across the way, the easily recognisable afro that belonged to Aikawa Love was prominently sticking out; his face grinning as it usually did, although he had opted to sculpt his hair in a star shape now. Shinji himself was standing in the middle, addressing the two men below. Finally, Yoshirou spotted the easily recognisable body of Hachigen, his former superior officer, sitting off to the side. **He's still as big as ever** Yoshirou though to himself.

There were three others that he didn't exactly recognise. A young girl in a red tracksuit seemed to scowl down at them, a prominent fang pointing out from under her lip. Another girl in a jumpsuit was standing beside Hachi, her green hair the most easily noticeable point about her. Finally, another man stood tall close to Shinji, long blonde hair waving out about his black frilly suit. However, although recognised many of them, it seemed the same could not be said for the Vizards. Nearly all of them were looking at him with certain levels of confusion, Shinji was even scratching his head, unsure as to why Yoshirou was present. The only one who seemed to show recognition was Lisa, who raised an eyebrow at him rather than showing surprise, not even Hachi recognised him, looking at him with curiosity on his face.

"Well, well, whose yo' friend then? I don't remember seeing him at school."-Shinji called down to Kurosaki. Kurosaki looked back up defiantly, asking-"Does it really matter?" Shinji tutted as he said-"Now c'mon Ichigo, you can't just take anybody around to meet us. This is our little group; you can't just bring anyone here, its invitation only." Lisa spoke out, saying-"I don't mind the guy being here, he looks cute, give him a few years and he might have been my type of man." "Hah, what the hell can you see in a dumbass like that? He's a bloody beanpole!"-the fanged girl said. Shinji quietly said to himself-"To a shorty like you maybe." "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT DICKHEAD!"-the fanged girl shouted back at him, jumping to her feet as she stared daggers at Shinji. "C'mon, enough of the theatrics, your being rude to our guest!"-Shinji replied, trying to placate the angry girl. The girl seemed to growl back at him, before settling back on the ground, now staring daggers at Yoshirou. Shinji sighed as he turned back to the pair.

"Now, like I was saying, this is an invitation only thing, so would you mind vacating?"-Shinji asked, Yoshirou distracted as he heard the massive shutter open behind him. Turning back to Shinji, he said-"If it's all the same, I'd rather stay with Kurosaki here." Shinji shook his head, taking his cap off with a flick of his fingers as he spun it on one of the tips. "Hoo boy, what are we going to do with you"-Shinji mused quietly. Across the way, fang tooth said-"If we kill him, then its problem sorted right?" Yoshirou stepped away a little, getting some distance from Kurosaki for in case they did attack. "Hiyori, how many times are you going to be rude before the guest? Killing him would be slightly overdoing it now!"-Shinji said back to her. Hiyori just grunted at him; as if he was wasting time not letting her just kill Yoshirou.

"Y'see, you're not exactly going to be safe if ya stay here, as you can see Hiyori is a bit temperamental"-Shinji said, ducking as a sandal was thrown across the room at him, accompanied by much swearing on Hiyori's behalf. "I'd still say ya might wanna go leaving before things get hairy in here." Yoshirou laughed as he said-"Then all the more reason I'm staying, if things get hairy, Kurosaki's gonna need somebody at his side." "Well, it's not Ichigo whose at risk here…"-Shinji said as he thought once again. "…ah well, looks like we do it this way then. Hachi? Would you do the honours?"-Shinji shouted across the room. Hachi looked at him with a slight bit of confusion, before nodding. Yoshirou was slightly confused at that, if Shinji assumed him human then why ask Hachi, a Kido fighter, to make him leave?

However, the answer became clear as Hachi turned to Yoshirou. As Yoshirou looked up at the massive man, he suddenly saw petals fall before his eyes. **Purple?** Yoshirou wondered, before realising the air before him was starting to distort. **Ah, that's why he asked Hachi** Yoshirou realised as he looked up at Hachi, his mind inadvertently drawn to look at the big mans eyes. Realising he only had a few seconds, Yoshirou quickly went over the construction of the spell Hakufuku, the one he realised Hachi was using on him. Within milliseconds he formulated the inverse required pattern, before staring once more at Hachi. Hachi jumped with surprise as Yoshirou's view cleared, the petals stopping their falling before his eyes. "…Shinji-kun, he's a Shinigami."-Hachi said, turning to Shinji, who made a strange drawn out surprise noise. "A Shinigami? I'd have never guessed, that's a good disguise he has on!"-Shinji said, before smiling sadly. "Sorry, but that kinda changes things..."

Yoshirou watched as several members of the Vizard's readied themselves, kicking up zanpakuto's that had been hidden on the floor up into their hands. Beside him, Yoshirou heard a strange noise as Kurosaki emerged from his own body, swinging his massive Shikai into a ready stance beside him. Yoshirou raised his arm, preparing to summon his own zanpakuto; he didn't have enough time to get his Gikongan out. "Whoa, calm down guys!"-Shinji said, upon which Yoshirou realised he was among the few Vizards who hadn't actually grabbed their zanpakuto's. "I didn't say for us to go into an all out brawl, just that it kinda changes things!"-Shinji called out, trying to calm down his own side. "Jeez, Ichigo, why on earth did you drag a Shinigami here with you?"-Shinji asked, the other Vizards standing down slightly, although their hands were still upon the sheaths of their zanpakuto. Yoshirou also lowered his arm slowly, unsure of what was about to happen next. Kurosaki kept his Shikai up however, not trusting that the Vizards were standing down, replying-"I trust him, that's a good enough reason."

"Well, that's good an all that you found yourself a buddy among the Shinigami, but like I said, it's invitation only, he's going to have to leave."-Shinji said, clicking his fingers. Nearby, Yoshirou saw Hachi slam his hands together, a strange hand sign with the middle finger crossed over the second, the others curled in. Yoshirou recognised the seal as the strongest Bakudo, no.99. However, before Hachi could start intoning the spell, Yoshirou turned, jabbing his finger towards the big man. Using the Sho spell, Yoshirou knocked the hand gesture off, cancelling Hachi's attempt to use the spell. Once again, Yoshirou raised an arm to summon his zanpakuto, keeping an eye on the seven Vizards before him, Hachi still recovering from having been knocked back slightly. **Wait, seven?** Yoshirou thought as a shadow suddenly covered him.

Before he could react, a pair of arms encircled his from behind, pinning them to his side. He also realised that whoever it was entwined their legs about his, knocking his posture off and making him fall to the ground face first. Yoshirou struggled against the grasp, but quickly realised it was already over, he couldn't break out of this one since he could neither get his hands or feet solidly on the ground. "I got him Kensei!"-a loud cheery voice called from his back, Yoshirou off hand noticing the pressure on the middle of his back confirmed it to be one of the females among the Vizards. He heard the ground thud beside him as Kensei landed nearby. "So what, you caught him off guard, that's nothing to celebrate Mashiro!"-Kensei said annoyed as he walked over to Yoshirou's side. Yoshirou felt his body rock as the girl newly named Mashiro started shouting back-"Don't be so mean Kensei! I caught him and you didn't!" "Yeah, and now you look like some sort of crab there, you could have just dislocated his arm's or something, but a full body hold? Idiot."

Trying to turn his head to the side, Yoshirou noticed Kurosaki looking down at him, standing still as if surprised that things had turned out this way. "Well, looks like the shinigami loses!"-Shinji happily announced from nearby. "Well, since you seemed so eager to go for him, why don't you play with the kid, Kensei?" "What, do I look like a fucking childminder?"-Kensei argued back, but after what Yoshirou guessed was a staring match between the two, Kensei must have relented. Kensei somehow completely picked up both Yoshirou and Mashiro. Mashiro quickly jumped away, but before Yoshirou could try and break away from Kensei, both of his arms were locked in a full nelson. A quick blur as Kensei jumped to the door, and Yoshirou felt disorientated as he was thrown out the door.

"Tch, I had wanted to see what all the fuss about with that kid, but I end up playing babysitter with a brazen brat like you?"-Kensei said, his tone obviously pissed as he cracked his neck tendons. Yoshirou carefully picked himself up from the floor, considering his options. **I doubt Shinji would do anything stupid to Kurosaki, I'll bet I'm in the worse condition, a Vaizard ex-captain? How the hell do I deal with this?** Yoshirou mused as he emerged from his Gigai, the body dropping to the floor behind him. Across the way, Kensei whistled as he pulled a combat knife from his pants. "Captain? Well, well, maybe this might be a little bit interesting after all."-Kensei said as he spun the knife on his finger tip, the knife whistling as the speed increased. **Knife? That's Tachikaze, his knife zanpakuto, it was already released before the fight?** Yoshirou wondered as he drew his own zanpakuto. "What do you intend to do with Kurosaki?"-Yoshirou asked quietly, holding his zanpakuto down to the side.

"Eh? Isn't it obvious? If you came with him you should know already."-Kensei replied, catching the knife in his grip. "He's the guy Shinji wants' to recruit, this is his little interview for joining us. If he passes, he joins, if he fails…well we're not about to leave something that powerful to go on a rampage now are we?" Yoshirou grimaced at hearing this. He knew this was basically what was required, but if Kurosaki did fail, it was his responsibility to get the boy out of there. He promised he would keep everyone safe, even if these guys were old comrades, he would fight them if it was required.

**All nice thinking that, but Kensei alone isn't a guy I can take down** Yoshirou thought as he readied himself. **I doubt he will be bothered with killing me, he's just stopping me from going back in, my only hope is to pin him down somehow… but how? He could probably break my normal Bakudo with pure strength…** Yoshirou shook his head, putting the thoughts aside. "C'mon kid, if I have to miss this thing, then at least don't waste my time!"-Kensei said, holding his zanpakuto in a reverse grip as he settled into an odd stance. He suddenly ripped the zanpakuto up, slashing the air in front of him. As Yoshirou watched, lines of condensed wind seemed to fly out of the ground, slashing the earth as it flew forward. The blades of air converged about Yoshirou, aimed for his limbs. Yoshirou jumped the first line as it flew under his legs, spinning his zanpakuto to disperse the next line, cutting through it before it reached his arm. He threw his body horizontally to the ground to avoid the one that flew for his head, bracing his palm off the floor before doing a handstand to land on his feet again.

"Well, at least you can move, although that seemed a bit clumsy."-Kensei noted, waiting for Yoshirou to ready himself again. **He was just testing with that?** Yoshirou wondered as he gripped his zanpakuto tighter. **That could have killed me if it landed, and he used it to gauge my movements? That's insane… **"Oi oi, are you really planning to just stand there all day?"-Kensei said, suddenly right in front of him. **I never saw him move!** Yoshirou panicked as he watched Kensei's fist fly for his stomach. He managed to just about avoid the punch, side stepping the blow hastily, but he could feel the distortion from the passage of the fist. **Wait, that's his free hand!** Yoshirou realised as he saw the fist holding the knife held before his face, glowing blue. "Shi-!"-Yoshirou gasped out before all he could see was blue, a blast detonating in his face, sending him flying backwards and through the wall of a nearby building.

"What the hell, have captains really gotten that weak since we left?"-Kensei said as he approached the hole which Yoshirou had flew through. He tried to peer through the darkness to find his enemy, before suddenly seeing a glowing blue fire collecting right before him, Yoshirou grinning as Kensei's eyes were drawn to in front of his chest. "Hado no.73, Soren Soukatsui!" (1) Yoshirou called out as twin focused blasts of fire flew from his hands, impacting straight into Kensei, sending him back out of the hole he had come from. Kensei smashed into a nearby wall, the wall cracking from the force of the impact. Before he could even recover, Yoshirou had already used shunpo to appear in front of him, his arms crossing over each other as he declared "Bakudo no.79, Kuyō Shibari! (2)" Kensei exclaimed in surprise as all around him, eight seemingly portals appeared, exerting a huge gravitational pull on him, forcing him in place. A ninth portal appeared in the middle of his chest, completely restraining his entire body.

Kensei grunted as he tried to strain against the spell. "Don't bother."-Yoshirou said, lightly touching his stinging face, he could feel that Kensei's blast had burned him a bit, but nothing that he couldn't put up with. "That ones specially designed to restrain high strength foes, it uses your own power against you, the more you strain, the more force the spell pulls you in." Sheathing his zanpakuto, Yoshirou turned to head back to the original warehouse, where he could see through the open doors that Kurosaki and Shinji were duking it out, both men trying to overpower the other. However, he froze upon hearing a small chuckle from Kensei. "Wow, you guys both seem to underestimate your foes."-Kensei said as Yoshirou turned back to him. Grinning with a slightly dangerous smile, Kensei said-"Yeah, without being able to pull their Bankai's out, this one could restrain most people, even Captain ranks. I'll hand it to you, I didn't peg you as being a Kido type with your body like that, I've been around Hachi for too long."

Yoshirou suddenly realised exactly what was happening as he sensed Kensei's reiatsu start to warp. "But…who says I'm only as strong as a Captain?"-Kensei said, as some kind of material started to collect around his face. "Hollowification? Shit, I didn't want to burn up so much reiatsu with this…" Yoshirou said as he slammed his palms together, replicating the same seal Hachi had used earlier. Suddenly, even though he was now pulling his mask out, Kensei started struggling to break free before the mask finished forming, struggling even harder, recognising the spell Yoshirou was about to use. Yoshirou's own reiatsu roared about him as he prepared his next spell, Kensei was too slow, he didn't manage to overpower the gravity effect of the other spell in time as Yoshirou intoned "Bakudo no. 99,-!"

Yoshirou didn't manage to complete the spell; he felt a massive impact on his ribs as he simultaneously heard a girly voice shout out "MASHIROOO KIIIIIICK!" Sent flying for a second time, Yoshirou managed to just about get a glance at who kicked him. Mashiro was still in a mid air pose, having drop kicked him away as she grinned at the trapped Kensei. Yoshirou managed to flip in mid air, planning to kick off the nearby building to jump back. However, as his foot connected, the worn down metal of the abandoned warehouse his foot had connected to bent inwards under the pressure, and Yoshirou found himself inside the building instead. Coughing from all the disturbed dust, Yoshirou quickly used shunpo to get back outside, where now the fully hollowfied Kensei finished breaking out of his Bakudo.

"Haha, Kensei's an idiot!"-Mashiro laughed as Kensei landed back on his feet. However, even with a mask on, Yoshirou could tell that it had to be the same personality as Kensei turned about, saying-"Like hell you can speak, I didn't need you to butt in!" Yoshirou noticed that his voice had a strange darker tone to it, like the mask he wore distorted the words he was saying. **So this is hollowification?** Yoshirou wondered as Mashiro pouted, shouting insults back at the other man. **That's insane; he broke out of the Kuyo so easily? I've never seen it broken before! His power skyrocketed after he put the mask on, far above mine. And what's worse, now I have another person to deal with…** Yoshirou attuned his senses, and found much to his surprise that there were only five Vizards left inside the warehouse.

**Where's Shinji gone?** Yoshirou wondered, before finding his answer twitching in the dust nearby. "Ah, found him!"-Mashiro suddenly called out, interrupting her slanging match with the hollowfied Kensei. Mashiro seemed to skip over to the body, kneeling beside it and poking Shinji. Shinji growled in annoyance, before jumping to his feet. "DAMMIT THAT STUNG! Why in hell did Hiyori have ta hit me?"-Shinji called out in annoyance before noticing the other two men watching him. He jumped back in surprise while pointing at the two. "Wait, you're a captain! And you have your mask on! Why's all the interesting stuff going on outside when it was Ichigo we should have been testing! Dammit!"-Shinji said in mock shock as Mashiro laughed beside him.

"I was just about to finish this…"-Kensei said annoyed, his voice gravelly under the masks effect. Suddenly, Yoshirou felt a change inside the warehouse. Whoever was now facing Kurosaki had their reiatsu warping badly, also undergoing the hollowification he had seen in Kensei.** Shit, if this guy jumped so high, Kurosaki hasn't got a chance!** Yoshirou drew his zanapakuto once more, before running his hand along the blade flat, calling out-"Akariotoru, Taiyoukousen!" Kensei's face betrayed no changes as Yoshirou's zanpakuto changed forms. **Of course it couldn't, it's a damn mask** Yoshirou thought as he swung his zanpakuto to a ready stance.

"Sorry, but play times over for me, I don't like how things are going in there so I'm calling this match."-Yoshirou announced as he faced down the hollowified Kensei. As far as he could see, the eyes in the mask narrowed in anger at Yoshirou's attitude. "You got some attitude on you for somebody who hasn't even seen my strength. I'll teach you to underestimate me, punk!"-Kensei shouted back as he leapt forward, his zanpakuto put away in favour of using his fists alone. Unheeded by him, Shinji suddenly shouted out-"STOP KENSEI!" **Too late** Yoshirou thought as he swung his Shikai at his foes incoming arm. Kensei suddenly realised he was in trouble as the zanpakuto connected with his arm, and started biting into his flesh. Instantly, Kensei disappeared, skidding in reverse from his desperate retreat.

"What the hell? Your zanpakuto cut straight through my arm! That's not possible!"-Kensei said in surprise as Yoshirou brought his sword into a ready stance, sword pointing at Kensei in case he made any rapid moves again. "My Shikai, my rules Kensei, and you'll play by them, not by what you think is possible."-Yoshirou said, hiding the simple fact that his Shikai could just cut through anything but a zanpakuto. **The less he knows accurately, the less he can do to me.** Kensei growled, before suddenly regaining control. He raised his hand, swiping it across his face to dispel his mask, saying one more in his normal voice-"Fine" He drew his zanpakuto once again, before holding it before him. **He took his mask off? What's he planning?** Yoshirou thought uneasily as he readied himself for the next attack. "Then…if my sword changes the rules, your going to follow the new rules!"-Kensei stated as his entire body started to glow from the force of his reiatsu. "BAN-!" He started to call out, but Shinji suddenly appeared, a hand swiping to in front of Kensei's face, interrupting his words.

Shinji stared at Kensei. "I'm sure I said your only ta play with the shinigami, not kill him..."-he said darkly to Kensei. Kensei stood his ground for a second, before relaxing. "Sorry Shinji, he's surprisingly good at riling people up, he needed a good beating for it."-Kensei apologized as he spun his knife off his finger again. Off to the side, Mashiro was watching the whole thing aptly. Shinji took his hand back, saying "Next time, listen ta what I said, I told ya stop for a reason." Turning to look at Yoshirou, he said-"Just like the kid's said, the rules just changed, and it happened when he released his Shikai, right Yoshirou-kun?" Yoshirou was surprised at the sudden recognition from Shinji, he hadn't said his name once, either that or Kurosaki had said it to them. Shinji turned, heading back to the warehouse, motioning with his hand that everybody should follow. "C'mon, lets all see whether Ichigo's balls are in or not. You too, Yoshirou-kun, things have changed now it's you here."

Yoshirou was surprised at suddenly being invited back in, Kensei cursing as he put his Shikai back, before looking down at his new modified top. "Fuck, I'm gonna have to change now!"-he said grumpily as he noticed the massive hole Yoshirou's spell had charred into the tank top, his skin surprisingly unharmed. "Haha, dumbass Kensei!"-Mashiro said in a sing song voice as she followed Kensei back into the warehouse. Yoshirou paused to retrieve his discarded Gigai, however, as he stepped into it he felt a strange sensation. Quickly stepping back out, he realised exactly what had happened. **This Gigai has enhanced regeneration of reiatsu!** Yoshirou realised, gobsmacked at just how quickly his reiatsu had started restoring itself. It wasn't much compared to his total, but for a normal shinigami, it would only take a minute at that rate to restore to full strength.

However, a fluctuation in reiatsu nearby drew his attention. Quickly getting back into the Gigai, Yoshirou realised that Kurosaki's reiatsu was both dropping, and also becoming increasingly unstable. Running into the warehouse, he watched Kurosaki fight the hollowified Hiyori. Things were going terribly for Kurosaki, his Shikai was cracked badly from the fight, his eyes already showing the degradation of his soul. Yoshirou ran forward, planning to intervene, before he smacked into a barrier. Growling, he quickly poured his reiatsu into his hands, hoping his bloodline ability would encompass this magic too. He found that it did, as the barrier shattered under his hands, drawing surprised gasps from all the Vizards, including Hiyori who had noticed the barrier falling.

That cost her dearly, as Kurosaki finally lost control, his reiatsu sky rocketing to a peak Yoshirou had not seen yet. With a strange distorted scream he leapt forward, catching the girl Vizard by her throat as they both flew across the air, slamming into a pillar past the original boundaries of the barrier. Yoshirou watched in horror at the sight, the girl trying to break free from Kurosaki's grip as he leered at the struggling girl. **What the hell is that!** Yoshirou realised, looking at Kurosaki. There was no way this was the Hichigo entity he had met before, this thing was animalistic in trying to squeeze the life out of its foe. Yoshirou froze, unsure as to whether he should now be trying to save the Vizard from this monster Kurosaki had become.

The Vizards made the decision first, all of them simultaneously leaping in and slamming Kurosaki to the ground, pinning his movements between multiple zanpakuto. As he watched, Shinji stabbed his zanpakuto forward into the mask part that had formed over Kurosaki's face, breaking it apart. Shinji straightened up, saying "That's enough…". Turning about to where Hiyori was, he asked "Ya satisfied now?" Hiyori didn't say anything, still trembling in shock of nearly being killed, staring down at Kurosaki as she tried to get her breath back. The Vizards one after the other stepped off of Kurosaki's body as Shinji said-"Ya get it now, Ichigo? Suppressing your hollow isn't as simple as just focusing your body and mind…" As Shinji said this, the black aura from Kurosaki's eyes disappeared, and he seemed to start from surprise at the situation he was in. **He doesn't remember what happens while under the effects?** Yoshirou wondered as Shinji turned around, smirking down at Kurosaki.

"You passed! We'll pound the way to suppress your hollow clear into the core of your soul!"-Shinji grandly announced. Although he then stopped for a second, as he said-"Well, maybe we might wait till tomorrow to start, ya really did a number on Hiyori." Kurosaki picked himself up from the ground as he asked "What did I do?" Nobody replied to his question, and as he looked up at Hiyori, she seemed to shirk away in fear. "…sorry…"-Kurosaki said quietly as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Ah well, it's all sorted now, tomorrow the real work begins!"-Shinji stated. "Also, Yoshirou-kun here is now a guest; he's not goin ta cause any more trouble, so no pickin fights with him! Now, about getting the groceries…"-he started to talk about, obviously having given up the whole seriousness of the situation. Yoshirou walked over to Kurosaki, offering to help him up. Kurosaki ignored his hand though, apparently preferring to remain sitting as he was, musing in his thoughts.

"Leave him be, he's just been through a bit of an ordeal, he'll recover soon enough."-a voice said from behind Yoshirou. Turning about, he noticed a hand held out to him, the man politely offering it to him. "Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, it's a pleasure to meet you."-the man said, still offering the hand to Yoshirou. Smiling politely back, Yoshirou took the hand, saying-"Yoshirou Kenshin, nice to meet you to… Ro…" The man arched an eyebrow at the name, saying-"Rose will suffice, that's what everybody calls me. And now I see why Shinji let you back in, that explains a lot if you're the mysterious Yoshirou I heard so much about from Tessai-san. I hear you're the current successor to the original Kido style?" Yoshirou paused, looking at him slightly confused before the man explained-"Mental casting, it was a style that I learnt as well, I'm guessing that's how you interrupted Hachi's Kido? Rather decent work if I do say so, you match up to the tales Tessai-san told us." Rose finished with a light smile, one that seemed out of place with his strange facial expressions. **Guy looks permanently bored…** Yoshirou noted as Rose waved his hand, walking over to join Love where he was sitting.

Mashiro was still chatting away with Kensei, while Shinji seemed to be trying to deal with Hiyori, although unsuccessfully from what he could see. "Well, hasn't it been a long time since I saw you."-a woman's voice noted from behind him. Turning, he saw Lisa strolling over now, her strange choice of attire rather prominent. **Wait, all the girls here have strange clothing choice** Yoshirou realized as he remembered Mashiro's jump suit and Hiyori's exaggerated tracking clothes. "Over a century now, how come you guys are all here anyway?"-Yoshirou asked. Lisa shook her head, saying-"A long story, and a boring one. You want details; try asking Shinji, he'll probably entertain you with the long version." Yoshirou considered it, before remembering something.

"How come you're the only person who remembered me?"-Yoshirou asked, curious about the strange coincidence. Lisa just said-"I tend to remember people who resemble my ex-Captain, just like Shinji tends to remember all the pretty girls he ever meets." Yoshirou took the chance to raise an eyebrow in disbelief. "I resemble Kyoraku?"-he asked sarcastically. However, Lisa nodded, saying-"Just about the same height, the same laid back attitude, you're practically him minus a couple of centuries, although if I remember right, you don't share the same attitude to women." "What makes you think that?"-Yoshirou asked in return. Lisa slowly walked around him, making him jump a mile when she suddenly blew seductively into his ear from behind. "That's what I meant, Kyoraku would have enjoyed that, you jump in surprise."-Lisa noted as she stepped back again, Yoshirou trying to control his face from erupting red again. "Who knows, give it a few centuries and that might change too."

Remembering something Kyoraku had said, Yoshirou said-"Wait, I thought you had no such inclinations towards…Kyoraku"-Yoshirou said, correcting himself before he openly accused her of being a lesbian. "You mean you were told I'm a lesbian?" **Crap…** "I said that so I could get away with doing what I wanted with him, he thought no commitment so I could do what I wanted instead."-Lisa replied simply. "That's also why I tend to remember people who resemble him, it's a bad habit." Yoshirou gaped at Lisa as she turned away, heading over to join Love and Rose**. I can't tell if that means she likes him, or if she's just a pure pervert** Yoshirou wondered, as the tales that Kyoraku told him of his lecherous Vice Captains actions sprung to mind.

Trying to clear his thoughts, he saw an orange light nearby. His attention drawn to it, he could see that Hachi was using some kind of spell on Kurosaki, although he seemed to be trying to protest against it. At first, Yoshirou assumed it was some kind of barrier, although that made little sense. However, as he watched the annoyed Kurosaki, he gaped at what he saw. Not only were Kurosaki's wounds being restored, but in turn, so was his clothing. Hachi seemed to notice Yoshirou's expression as he stared at the magic before him. Coughing lightly, he said-"This is a unique type of Kido that I developed during my exile here. In realistic terms, you might call it Space/Time Regression."

Yoshirou swore his jaw dropped even further. "What the hecks that?"-Kurosaki asked from inside the barrier, obviously not catching what Hachi meant. "Hmm…in laymans terms, you might call it turning back time within an area."-Hachi explained. Kurosaki didn't seem anywhere near as surprised as Yoshirou though, instead quietly saying-"Wow, it's kinda like Inoue's powers…" However, he said it too quietly for either Shinigami or Vizard to hear. "By the way, Yoshirou-kun…"-Hachi said, having overheard the others conversations and remembered his identity too. "How have things gone in the old squad?"-Hachi asked. Yoshirou sighed as he said "Far too much change for my liking, god I miss the days when superiors would do all the hard work for me, where to begin?"

For the next ten minutes, Yoshirou gave a condensed version of the past hundred years. In all honesty, there wasn't much to tell before the past few weeks, there had been very little for Yoshirou and his squad to do prior to the whole execution debacle. The best that had happened was a strange incident with a hollow nest within the real world, their destruction being one of the tasks that were usually handed down to the Kido Corps (3). This one was a unique mess as he had found himself trapped within the maze of passageways within the nest with the twins, and had been forced to fight nonstop for two days alongside them until another, larger strike team lead by the remaining seated officers managed to destroy the core of the nest, killing the endless reinforcements for the hollow side. They had it easy Yoshirou thought as he paused his narrative to Hachi, remembering the tides of hollow he had to destroy, the twins and he had purposefully lured them in order to make a path for the other team initially, however getting trapped had not been part of the plan. It hadn't been all too hard since the hollows weren't exactly of the strong type, but two days of sleepless fighting had been a nasty toll on the three, suffice to say they never used the same tactic again.

As Yoshirou finished, Hachi's magic seemed to finish as well, having fully restored the injured man back to good health. Kurosaki stretched his arms a few times, making sure that the arms still worked properly. "Hey, Hachi could I learn that technique?"-Yoshirou asked, hoping that it was one that could be passed along. Hachi seemed to think for a second, before saying-"Normally, I would tell you instantly no. These techniques are unique to me, and are totally uncontrollable by other Shinigami, but…" He stopped, looking up curiously at Yoshirou, continuing-"You somehow manipulated my barrier magic earlier, that should have been impervious to Shinigami Kido, but you broke it with minimal effort. Perhaps it may be possible, it depends…" Hachi thought further for a second, before taking a gravure magazine from the floor nearby. "…I hope that's not yours…"-Yoshirou asked as he saw the big man start to shred it between his hands.

"No, it's mine, and what the hell are you doing with it, Hachi?"-Lisa asked coldly, having noticed the detruction before Hachi. **Pervert for sure now…** Yoshirou thought as Hachi held a hand up placated, saying-"Don't worry, it will be restored in a few seconds Lisa, I just wish to test something…"-Hachi said as he neatly deposited the mess about the floor. Clapping his palms together, he put them forward, extending them over the mess. Another barrier sprung into existence; however the sheet's didn't regenerate. "Now Yoshirou-kun, if you would join me?"-Hachi asked. Yoshirou nodded, placing his own palms upon the barrier. He found that his ability allowed him to connect into the barrier, instantly seeing the immense complexity of the spell under his hands. "Now, since your connected, if you put your reiatsu into the barrier, we will see if it is possible or not."-Hachi said quietly, attention now on the barrier. Yoshirou did as instructed, however the barrier cracked, popping and disintegrating as his attempt failed dismally.

Hachi sighed as he reconstructed the barrier, starting to restore the magazine under Lisa's gaze. "It seems you're not compatible with using this magic, Yoshirou-kun. You're able to connect with the magic somehow, but actually pulling it to your will is not possible, you seem only able to unravel the magic about the barrier."-Hachi said, his magic restoring the magazine back to its former (dirty) glory. Lisa bent down, simultaneously giving both Hachi and Yoshirou views of her body they could have lived without, fetched the magazine and went about her way. Hachi wiped a hand before his eyes, shaking his head as he muttered-"Far too open, as usual." Yoshirou just nodded his head in agreement.

"Back to what we were discussing, the fact that you could deconstruct the barrier is in itself still highly irregular, how are you able to unravel Kido without a full understanding of how to use the spell? You used only a minimal amount of reiatsu, but the barrier folded under that, this kind of barrier would have been difficult for any of us Vizards to break, it defies any explanations that I can think of that you managed to open the barrier. How exactly did you do it?"-Hachi asked curiously, settling into a more comfortable position, eager to learn what he could. Yoshirou froze for a second, remembering the numerous warnings he had been told to keep the truth about himself hidden. Settling on the easiest alternative, he just said-"It's a zanpakuto ability, Taiyoukousen allows me to unravel Kido that I come into contact with, although it only really works on stationary magic's, Bakudo, barrier types, so on."

Hachi blinked a few times in surprise at the explanation, before rubbing his chin with his hand, thinking about what he had been told. "…but you didn't even have your zanpakuto in hand, let alone released…"-Hachi said, more matter of fact than suspiciously, still eager to try and find out the real reason. Yoshirou thought for a second, before internally saying **Taiyou, give us a hand for a second.**

_Sure_

Yoshirou then raised his hand, activating a healing spell to make the now collected reiatsu about his hand green. Hachi seemed a bit taken aback by seeing a healing magic, but watched eagerly. Yoshirou then funneled some of Taiyou's power up his arm and into the spell. Instantly the spell merged into the golden form from Taiyou's power. "You see? The spell still is a healing spell, but I can directly manipulate it with the power I borrow from Taiyoukousen, I don't need to have my zanpakuto in hand or even released to borrow her power."-Yoshirou explained as he released the spell, the golden glow disappearing from his hand. Hachi started rubbing his chin again as he voiced his thoughts aloud, saying-"The zanpakuto doesn't need to be summoned in order for its power to be used? Does that mean that your zanpakuto is in an innate form? …but I've never heard of a zanpakuto that can be innately used…Then again, maybe it's an ability of elemental zanpakuto's? The Sou Taichou could summon fire without using his zanpakuto, maybe yours just comes under the same jurisdiction… but this isn't corporal summoning of light, it's infusion of reiatsu, a completely unique style at that…this still doesn't explain how my Kido was broken down so effectively…unless the changed reiatsu is just far more powerful than I could sense?"

Hachi continued to muse over this for a while, although before he could come up with another definite theory, they were interrupted by Shinji, who had apparently succeeded in calming Hiyori down judging from the arrogant look that had been restored to her features. "Well, everybody seems to be having good fun! Catching up on old times does seem to be nice for you two, it gave me some time to chat with Hiyori here, ICHIGO!"-Shinji suddenly called out loudly, trying to locate the substitute shinigami. It seemed that Mashiro had been bugging him, as he tried to pull away from the girl, she said "Seeya, Berry-tan!" Judging from the face Kurosaki pulled, he didn't exactly like his new pet name. As he walked over, he noticed that Hiyori was also with Shinji, and his face fell a bit, as he shuffled over to beside Yoshirou, unable to make eye contact with the girl Vizard.

"Well, since we're going to be at this for a while, resentment between comrades will just cause problems, so you two are going to be friends from now on!"-Shinji happily announced, although the face on Hiyori suggested that she didn't exactly agree with this theory. "Why the hell do I have to be friendly with that Dickhead!"-Hiyori shouted back at him, aiming to slap him one again. Shinji barely managed to dodge the incoming sandal as he said-"Now, now Hiyori! You're forgetting our deal!" Hiyori froze in mid slap, before muttering to herself, putting sandal back on foot. "Now, Ichigo, you got anything you want to be saying?"-Shinji asked, trying to indicate this was the part where he should start apologizing. "Yeah…sorry…"-Kurosaki said quietly, although the face Hiyori pulled once again suggested this wasn't good enough. "Eh, what was that you said Dickhead? I didn't hear ya clearly!"-Hiyori said, deliberately putting hand behind her ear to pronounce her point.

"I said I was sorry! No need to take the mick!"-Kurosaki said angrily, riled by Hiyori's actions at him. **Well, he's already forgotten he nearly killed her half an hour ago **Yoshirou noted as a tick seemed to appear on Hiyori's face. "It's "sorry Hiyori-san" to you, dickhead!"-Hiyori shouted back at Kurosaki, who shouted in reply-"Stop calling me Dickhead, Fang girl!" That one seemed to hit the mark, as Yoshirou suddenly found himself trying to avoid a flying Shinji as Hiyori neatly threw her comrade at Kurosaki. **Holy crap!** Yoshirou thought as he quickly shunpo'd away from the sure to be beginning battle, landing himself beside Rose and Love. "Ahh, Hiyori's going to be on the war path for the rest of today."-Rose said, shaking his head lightly in disbelief as the battle ensued in the middle of the room between the two, although judging from Hiyori's speed, it looked like the fight was going to be rather one sided.

Love chuckled quietly as he said-"Seriously, fang girl? Even I wouldn't go calling her that" As the three men watched, a table was over turned, before being neatly dumped on Kurosaki's head. "Shouldn't somebody stop this?"-Yoshirou asked as the crashes and bangs started to get louder as more heavy objects were picked up in the scuffle. Both men turned at looked curiously at him, as they simultaneously said-"Be my guest." **Their about as intimidated by this as I am** Yoshirou realised as neither man moved to stop the fight. The fight seemed to take a pause for a second as both combatants stopped, just yelling insults at each other non stop, although this was short lived as the brawl began again. Shinji managed to get up; slightly dizzy from the way he had been used as a human bullet. He tried to stop the combatants, but this time ended up being a human shield as Kurosaki chucked the table from earlier at his opponent.

"All right guys, enough of the games!"-Kensei said as he appeared between the two, simultaneously hoisting both fighters by their clothing into the air. Both tried to struggle from the grip, but it seemed Kensei had no intention of releasing either of them. Hiyori looked rather pathetic as she stopped fighting, held more than her own body height again in mid air by Kensei's grip on her track suit, spinning slowly as her clothes twisted slightly in his grip. Kurosaki looked a bit better, but his face was a mask of embarrassment as he realised he had gotten into such a petty fight and had to be stopped like a little kid by an adult. Mashiro was practically rolling on the floor laughing at the debacle.

"That was my line Kensei!"-Shinji said as he groggily tried to stand straight, his head bleeding from where the table had hit him. Kensei shrugged as he dropped both people, Kurosaki landing on his feet, Hiyori falling more ungracefully onto her backside. "Hiyori, there was no need ta be acting like that, especially using me twice in the fight! I'm not a weapon for you ta chuck ceremoniously at people!"-Shinji said as he walked back over, stumbling once for good effect. **Like hell that could do him in **Yoshirou thought as Shinji reached the two. "Well, if your good enough ta be scrapping, then I guess that will have ta do. Now, like I said earlier, Hiyori's gonna be your trainin instructer for a while!"-Shinji announced, making both Kurosaki and Yoshirou look at him with surprise. However, from where Kurosaki was sitting, he couldn't see the evil smirk that was on Hiyori's face. **She's got some nasty regimen planned for him then.** Yoshirou realised as the collective group got up.

"Now, since you're going to need ta be watched over, there's no leaving here for now. Your not allowed ta leave this place until we've beaten your control of your inner hollow into ya, and even at that, no contact with anyone. We cannot let Soul Society know of our existence, that includes you!"-Shinji said, pointing at Yoshirou now. "You're gonna keep your mouth shut too." Yoshirou shrugged, saying-"If I planned to turn you guys in, I wouldn't have let Kurosaki come in the first place. I'm only here to make sure you guys didn't try any funny business, but seeing you guys now I think I can trust you not to do anything stupid." Shinji smirked as he said-"Stupid? Doing stupid things makes everything more fun, don't be such a kill joy."

"Anyway, Hiyori, could ya show where our lil Vizard-in-trainin' is going ta be staying?"-Shinji asked her as she finally picked herself off the floor. "Why in hell has it got to be me?"-Hiyori muttered, before saying-"C'mon dickhead, lets get going." Kurosaki growled again at the insult, but withheld any kind of retort this time, still massaging the bruised areas where he had been hit in the struggle a few minutes ago. He followed the girl as she lead her way towards an area at the back of the warehouse, disappearing into a more refurbished area.

"Sheesh, seems things are gonna be lively here."-Shinji noted as he walked over to Yoshirou. "Now… lets get to greetings I suppose, I'm Shinji as you no doubt heard, and your Yoshirou-kun right?" Yoshirou nodded as Shinji stood before him, saying-"How did you hear of me? You and I only met a few times in the past." "Eh? I met you before?"-Shinji asked in confusion, scratching his head. Yoshirou rolled his eyes as he said-"Yoruichi introduced you to me and Byakuya, that's how we first met." Shinji suddenly clicked his fingers in recognition. "You're that kid the Byakuya boy was always hanging around with! The one Yoruichi kept pestering! How in hell did a kid like you get so much attention from that babe?"-Shinji asked. Yoshirou raised an eyebrow as he said-"I didn't, she was pestering Byakuya, I just happened to be around a lot of the time by bad luck."

"Liar, Yoruichi still gloats over the amount of times she got you recently, I never got much attention from her, despite she being my first love and all…"-Shinji said, eyes shining with reminiscence and memories. "Don't listen to him Yoshirou, he calls every pretty girl that, I can't count how many first loves that idiots had. Most of Soul Society is filled with his numerous first loves, even Mashiro and I have been called his first loves."-Lisa called over, before reading her magazine again. "And I loved them all equally as much!"-Shinji shouted back at her. Yoshirou sighed in annoyance at the way the conversation had turned, before realising just what Shinji had said. "You keep in contact with Yoruichi?"-Yoshirou asked.

"Yeah, we were only talking last night. Normally she has ta look for days for us, since we change locations frequently, but since we are going ta be training Ichigo, we relocated here indefinitely. This warehouse is the only place that has a decent sized trainin' area underneath it, we'll need it ta get his hollow under control. Pure luck she picked this warehouse as the start for the search."-Shinji explained. Suddenly, Urahara's words made sense from last night, about how Yoruichi was going to be gone for a long while, yet she was suddenly there in the morning to bug him.

"Anyway's, she alerted us ta all the going ons in Soul Society. She made a big point of you though, the kid who fought Aizen on level pegging, she said you even managed ta injure the bugger, my hat's off ta you if ya did. I recognised ya instantly when you released your Shikai, light elemental style, that's what she told me was your main characteristic ta look for."-Shinji said. Yoshirou looked down in annoyance though, he didn't feel like he managed anything against Aizen, least of all fighting on level footing. Aizen had huge amounts of power in reserve, he was fighting on level pegging about as much as he was when he faced Yamamoto. Shinji seemed to notice the change in mood about him, instead clapping Yoshirou on the shoulder to get his attention back. Shinji took a deep breath as he prepared to try and say something profound.

"Look, Yoruichi let us know everythin. You're pegged as one of the big players in the upcoming war, the Captain with only his Shikai ability already. Hell, you got Kensei to put on his mask, even with that you would have had his arm off if he hadn't pulled back. He nearly went Bankai just ta fight you, something I haven't seen for centuries. Even I can tell you're the real deal, even if you don't think it. Your also rather understandin, you supported the Ryoka the moment you heard the truth about what was happening in the executions without a shadow of a doubt, putting your life on the line for a person you only jus' learnt of. Hell, for a shinigami your top notch, look about here…"

Yoshirou looked about like Shinji said, not really understanding what he meant. All the Vizards were going about their daily life as far as he could see; spontaneous arguments about petty things between Rose and Love, Mashiro annoying Kensei, Hachi was meditating alone, Lisa was still reading her gravure magazine. "Ya don't see it do ya? You're a Shinigami amongst one of the biggest violations against Soul Society, and only within a tiny amount of time, we're both so comfortable with the others presence that every bodies guard is dropped about you, and you're not concerned any of us will kill you in return. You probably don't see it, but we've been livin' in fear of the Shinigami discoverin us for a century, yet just in one afternoon, you and Kurosaki have both broken down that wall in minutes, as far as I see, that's god damn amazing. You don't feel like a Shinigami, you feel like a comrade already, there's no dislike or inhibitions on either side of the fence, that's not something any normal person could pull off."

Yoshirou just looked confused at Shinji's words, he didn't exactly get where all of this was going. Shinji sighed in annoyance at Yoshirou's lack of understanding. "Look, your attitude makes you seem like a person anybody could be friends with. Only a minute ago we were all kicking up our zanpakuto's, ready to kill you, but now you're talking with us like long lost friends. You don't hold the inhibition of what we are against us, and in turn we can't hold the fact that your one of the god be damned shinigami who exiled us against you. We represent beings who have gained the powers of hollows, the ultimate antithesis of Shinigami. Yet even though you're fully aware of it, you're already comfortable with being near us, even though our reiatsu throws off such a disgusting tone for a pure Shinigami. You've seen us as former comrades and friends, not as enemies. You may see it as nothing, but it takes a certain kind of person to be able to drop all inhibitions like that."-Shinji explained quietly, his usual camaraderie lost in the seriousness of his tone. "Perhaps your proof that the shinigami can change, maybe since now this is all out in the open, if there are enough people like you, maybe we might be able to return back to Soul Society rather than hiding in these shadows. God it would make a nice change…"

Yoshirou looked curiously at Shinji, along with the Vizards who had started to listen to him, his usual smile lost for the serious tone he was taking. However, Shinji suddenly started sniggering, before laughing out loud. "Hey, seems I can make good speeches after all! God, it's been years since I had any young enough troubled kids nearby ta give it a try, Hiyori was never a good enough target, she'd stuff a sandal in my mouth ta shut me up when ever I tried ta sound profound! What d'ya think of that one, Rose?"-Shinji called out to the nearby Vizard. Rose shrugged before saying-"A valiant effort, but I would suggest-" "Yeah, like anybody wants' to listen to your long winded talks!"-Love said, interrupting the Vizard before he could continue. An argument started between them as Mashiro said-"Hey Kensei, what was Shinji on about?" Kensei shook his head in disbelief as he said-"If you didn't listen in the first place, don't bug me for the answer." Mashiro just pouted again as she retorted-"Just because you didn't listen either, baka-Kensei." Sure enough, another argument started out between those two.

"See, family life."-Shinji said as he turned back to Yoshirou, who was laughing at the spectacles before him. "I think we can trust ya ta keep quiet about our presence, we aren't plottin anything against Soul Society, nothin could be further from it. We all have a lot to owe that bastard Aizen, just like I bet you do too." Yoshirou looked at him, before asking-"What exactly happened then? I knew from the start Tessai's betrayal had to be wrong, but I never really figured how his exile concluded with you guys, I thought you all dead." Shinji raised an eyebrow at that, before asking-"So, what exactly is the bull that's been said about our condition to you generic shinigami?"

Yoshirou sighed as he said-"I think only the Captains were aware of a different story, since you guys are powerful, anything less than a Captain would not be made aware of your existence since we had no hope of defeating such entities. As a 3rd seat, I was only privy to the general drivel they tell the weaker shinigami. What we were told was that a hundred years ago, you were all part of a heinous experiment in order to discover the secret to power from using hollows. However, you all died gruesome deaths due to the experiment, the process having been a total failure. The whole thing was kept hush-hush by the Central 46, my bet is to scare shinigami into believing that trying to gain power by that method is futile, and to make sure lives weren't lost trying to hunt you guys down. I was only alerted to the possibility that the process could have been a success via the secret databases I accessed in the 12th Squad during my research into arrancar. I found the sub topic for Vizards there, had it not been for that I would still be lost in the darkness about the whole thing."

Shinji laughed mockingly at the information. "Wow, now that's some Grade-A bullshit indeed, well since you're curious, do ya want to hear the real truth? You can see already that we do indeed have powers, but none of it was wanted on our half. The truth is we don't know when it all started, god knows how long Aizen has been doin this crap, it was only a century ago that he finally decided ta start experimenting on real bodies. Now…"

(1 hour later)

"…And here we are!"-Shinji finished with a big flourish, his tale finished. Around them, several Vizards clapped as he finished the telling. As time had gone on, Shinji had attracted a bigger audience until eventually everybody was listening to the life story, although Hiyori was yawning in boredom. Kurosaki also seemed rather shocked by the whole story, as was Yoshirou. "So Aizen is responsible for what happened to you too? That bastard, what the hell could he be planning doing all of this? And how in hell did he get away with it for so long?"-Yoshirou asked, his anger towards Aizen growing further than before. He hated the man for having betrayed Soul Society and for having been the reason why so many innocent people had nearly died during the incident 112 years ago. However, everything that had been said here revealed that he had hurt people again and again even before that, even his own superiors and his teachers had been forced into exile because of him.

"He got away with it cause he's one helluva deceitful bastard. I had been suspicious of him, but like Aizen told me, that was my undoing as well. I never realised that I was under his illusion until it was all too late. Your lucky, Yoshirou. You may not see it, but you were only under a superfluous illusion, one made by his acting. Ya said so yourself, ya saw something slightly out, although ya couldn't put your finger on it. Every day, when ya saw him, it was not an illusion, he was really there standing right in front of ya. I can't be sure when I was looking at him, or when I was looking at something entirely different. The man I knew wasn't just an illusion; he may have never been there to begin with. That's his ability, the great deceiver."

"However, ya have your trump card, Yoruichi told me all about it, if ya really did injure Aizen, then ya saw through him, his illusion was beaten. Even if all ya did was give him a tiny cut, ya beat him in that one sense, he's gotta be afraid of that, and that's why you're so important. Even us Vizard don't have that edge that you do, you an Kurosaki both. Ya both have that unknown quality that can't be gauged, be it your unbelievable abilities or Kurosaki's undeniable extraordinary growth rate. Speaking of such actually…"-Shinji said, looking with a strange smile at Yoshirou. "Ya were a 3rd seat when we left, yet here ya are playing with big game like the Espada and Captain ta boot. All in a single century and ya haven't even hit your full power yet, I could sense it when ya pulled your Shikai out, I bet ya don't have your Bankai yet, right?" Yoshirou was surprised at the astute study that Shinji gave him. Grinning, Shinji said-"I wonder what it would be like ta fight ya when ya hit the peak of your power, would be a good game I'd say."

"Well, I'm not exactly aiming to fight with you guys; it's Aizen I want to beat."-Yoshirou assured him. "What and you think a dumbass beanpole like you has any chance?"-Hiyori challenged, having grown interested in the talks now it was verging away from their personal history. Yoshirou froze for a second, actually considering whether he did or didn't. Hiyori smiled with self satisfaction, her fang showing through the sneer as she said-"And that's proof ya don't! I'd put my bet more on that dickhead over there than you!" Hiyori taunted, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at Kurosaki. However, a fist descended on her head from Love, punishing her for the comment-"Hey, we're all after the same guy, no insulting him for no reason!...but she is also right, your kinda lacking in the spirit department, you don't think you can beat him can you?"

Yoshirou frowned to himself at hearing that. Shinji instantly swept a hand forward, saying-"All right, it's getting kinda late now! We should be getting some rest for tomorrow!" Turning aside, he quietly said-"Don't let Hiyori get ta ya, she has a kind of mutual hate for everything not Vizard, she takes any kind of betrayal's very deeply, it's gonna be another century before missy calms down enough ta even speak civilly with a shinigami. Aizen's gonna get his due, one way or another, so don't go worryin about whether ya have ta beat him yourself, somebody will kill that bastard, and all of us here are definitely gunning for it. Don't take it too heavily if ya don't think ya can beat him, it's not just up ta you, its up ta everybody that bastard betrayed, this is everyone's war."

Yoshirou nodded, but didn't really take it in. As Shinji walked away, he kept on thinking to himself.** I know I'm not strong enough, that's why I need to get this Bankai, I can't do it without it. He may be right that others can do it, but is it worth letting up just because somebody else may do it? How many more will die because I can't cut it?** "What's eating at you then?"-Kurosaki asked, making Yoshirou jump. He hadn't noticed his approach. Shaking his head, Yoshirou lied-"nothing, just bored… Well, now this is all sorted, I'm heading off; I'm probably in enough crap as it is for having broken regulations last night." Kurosaki watched him for a moment, before shrugging. "Well, seeya around then."-Kurosaki said as he walked off. Yoshirou turned to leave, before something caught in his mind.

"Hey, you said you didn't tell Rukia about what you intended, right?"-Yoshirou asked. Kurosaki stopped in his tracks, as he said-"Yeah, why?" "Well, how many people know you're here then?"-Yoshirou asked. Kurosaki looked oddly at him as he said-"Err…you?" Yoshirou frowned as he said-"Okay then, how many people have you made an excuse to that will explain your absence?" Kurosaki continued to look at him confused before it sunk in.-"…crap, I didn't tell anyone, I didn't realise I was going to be kept here." Yoshirou sighed exasperatedly as he asked-"All right then, what story and who do I tell it to? Mind you, don't go listing people I don't know, like hell am I going into your school and explaining your absence." Kurosaki thought for a second, trying to piece together some likely excuse. However, he must have given up, just simply saying-"Tell Rukia I'm getting this problem sorted, and not to look for me, she'll explain the rest to everybody, she's better at making stories up than me."

Yoshirou slightly cringed at that, he didn't exactly want to see her face when she learnt she was going to have to tell half the town excuses for a ginger truant. "Jeez, don't give me an easy task; if I end up with an arm missing, then you know who ripped it off in fury."-Yoshirou replied, Kurosaki grinning slightly at the joke. "Well, good luck with getting your hollow under control, I'll check in when I can, although my bet is I'm going to be under house arrest for the next two decades when I get back to Soul Society." Kurosaki nodded, before Yoshirou walked away, heading back into the town.

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**Chapter finished! Kinda started losing steam by the end, the last few paragraphs suck quite a bit. Now that this is done, I really don't know what to write 0.0 It could be quite a while before anything new comes out, I dunno, hopefully not. I tried to keep people in charecter, but it mightent have worked in all cases, i'm not too good at visualising the Vizards... oh well, hopefully future chapters might be better. Seeya all then! As usual, suscribe and review if you like the story! (Been slightly lacking in both recently, oh well)**

**(1) Soren Soukatsui: Since I've already had Yoshirou use Raikoho as no 63, im going with the anime's numbering of making the spell number 73**

**(2) Kuyo Shibari: This is a new spell from the manga, the second most powerful body binding type, strong enough that Urahara used it to pin down Aizen with two others (Although Aizen revealed minutes later he just couldn't be assed to break it since the follow up level 90+ Hado couldn't hurt him anyway.)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry about the sudden re-jigging of my story, my comps being evil for some reason, so in searching for a cure, i'm splitting the story. I'm hoping to god that I don't lose all my faithful readers like this, hopefully everybody will come to see this new story instead. Anyhow, heres another chapter, nothing big happens, and I kinda lost focus by the end (feeling a little tired)**

**Well, read and enjoy! (hopefully, i'm not sure how many people will even notice this new story...)**

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**How am I supposed to do this?** Yoshirou mused as he looked up at the surgery before him. He had learnt that this surgery, apparently the Kurosaki Clinic, was the place where Kurosaki lived in the human realm. From what he had learnt from Rukia, this was also the place where she was living. As such, now that the normal school day was over, this was the most probably location upon which to find the female shinigami. **If Byakuya only knew she's living in this kinda place** Yoshirou mused as he read the sign above the door, a rather cracked old sign that he bet probably put potential people off going there. However, as he walked into the clinic, he instantly found that the outside looked rather different to the inside. Judging from the clinically clean reception area, the father who owned this clinic took great pride in his work, making sure that the entire place was perfect for any visitors. However, it seemed the place indeed was a family run business kind, there was very little in the way of staff going about the building as Yoshirou peered about, looking for a person that he might talk to.

**Knew I should have tried the house first** Yoshirou thought as he turned about. However, no sooner the thought than he found a man running into the reception, a clipboard in his hand along with his medical jacket that he wore. The man seemed to skid across the room before coming to a halt just before colliding with Yoshirou. The man seemed to beam at him with a far too enthusiastic smile as he said-"Welcome to the Kurosaki Clinic! Now how may I help you?" Yoshirou was taken aback by the man's far too friendly attitude, but quickly recovered. Trying to peer at the name tag of the man, he said-"Hello….Kurosaki-san?" before suddenly realising he was staring at Kurosaki's father. The man continued to beam as he said-"Isshin's the name! Now, how may I help? Is it an illness? Injury? Emotional issue? Just say the problem and I'll see how I can help you!"

Yoshirou nearly ran for it, the guy's attitude was so up front and friendly that you felt like you should take a step back from the man. Steeling himself for whatever came next, he replied-"Hello, Isshin-san, I-" Isshin suddenly held up a hand, interrupting him as he said-"It's just Isshin! Barriers between doctors and patients only slows getting the problem across, so no formalities between us men!" **Is this guy on some kind of drug?** Yoshirou wondered as the man continued to beam at him. Starting again, Yoshirou said-"Isshin, I was told that Kuchiki-san would be living at this address, or more specifically the house attached to the clinic. If it's possible, could I go and see her?"

Isshin's face suddenly became very suspicious as he peered at Yoshirou, rubbing a hand on his chin. "Are you a friend from the same school?"-Isshin asked, at which Yoshirou off hand said-"Yes." "Are you a stalker of hers?"-he suddenly asked, taking Yoshirou aback. Before he could reply, the man suddenly went up in outrage and bluster, saying-"Rukia-chan is going to be my daughter-in-law, and she and my son will be happy together! I shall not let some older boy get in the way of that!" Before Yoshirou could even say something, the man suddenly went off on a rant, shouting-"Oh Masaki-chan, some handsome lad has come to try and get between our son and his girl! What am I supposed to do?" He suddenly whipped about, eyebrow raised as he asked, dead pan serious-"Will you not go for a different girl?" Yoshirou, trying to clear up the misunderstanding, said-"No, it's-" However, the man went up in tears again, shouting-"Oh it's horrible, he wont give up on her Masaki-chan! There's going to be a horrible love triangle, what did we do to deserve such a tragedy?"

**Holy crap, now what have I done?** Yoshirou thought in confusion as the older man literally danced in stress and upset about the entire reception area, pulling strange dramatic poses as he complained tragically to whoever "Masaki-chan" was. As Yoshirou tried to calm the upset man down, another girl walked in from a side room. As Yoshirou saw from the side of his eye, the girl seemed to be a young one. **A sister?** Yoshirou thought before his attention was back on the crying man before him. Behind his back, the girl seemed to see what was going on. Sighing irritably, she walked over; picked up the clipboard the man had discarded earlier, and smashed him in the face with it. Yoshirou nearly said something in surprise as Isshin went flying comically about the room, landing face first on the floor. "Tch, bona fide idiots should just play dead."-the girl said as she dropped the now snapped clipboard.

Yoshirou could only stare in surprise at the twitching man on the floor. "Sorry about that, dad tends to go off on one for no reason whatsoever at times, you're not the first person to be caught by it."-the girl said. "K-K-Karin-chan, why did you hit your papa?"-Isshin said as he looked up from the floor, tears streaming down his face in a way Yoshirou thought he would never see on a man. The girl named Karin sighed irritably as she said-"No doubt you got some stupid idea in you're head and had to go scare this guy with it, I swear you're the biggest idiot I know." **Ouch, that's harsh** Yoshirou thought as Isshin recoiled as if stung. "E-Even my daughters hate me! Masaki-chan, what did I do wrong?"-Isshin said as he crawled away, leaving rivers of tears as he dragged himself out of the reception area.

**Okay, that was pretty weird…** Yoshirou thought as Karin rolled her eyes again. Turning to him, she said-"So, what did you come here for, since my dad isn't exactly able to serve anybody at the moment." Yoshirou turned to the girl, now definitely sure she had to be one of the two sisters he heard about. "Well, I heard that I could find Kuchiki-san here, and wanted to know if I could see her."-Yoshirou explained. Karin sighed irritably as she replied-"No wonder he went off on one, he would have a field day if anybody asked him about Rukia. Well, if you want, you can come in. She's with Yuzu at the moment, but I'm sure she can spare some time to talk to you."

Yoshirou nodded as the girl led him back through the door that Isshin had crawled through, the lines of water from the man's tears still evident in his passing. **Can a body actually cry that many tears?** Yoshirou thought in wonder as he followed Karin through the corridor, until they reached a door that looked distinctively different from the clinic's doors. Going through the door, Karin said-"You can leave your shoes there", pointing to a corner of the tiny room that she had led him to. As she opened another door, Yoshirou realised this had to be a side entrance to their house. Quickly slipping the trainers off his Gigai, Yoshirou followed Karin into the house proper.

**Cozy** Yoshirou thought as he looked at the dining room he had been led too. The house eschewed the feel of one which an active family lived in, clean yet full of creature comforts such as the cushions dotted here and there. As he followed Karin, he nearly halted as he saw the sight of Isshin from earlier, curled up in front of a massive poster of a beautiful woman. Judging from the maternal look of the woman in the picture, he doubted this was one of those strange posters that human's put up of their favourite pin ups. This was confirmed as the man said-"Masaki-chan, where did I go wrong?" pawing pathetically at the poster.

"hey, is your dad really okay?"-Yoshirou asked quietly as Karin lead him into what appeared to be a hallway. Karin shrugged as she said-"Give him a minute, and he'll be just as explosive as earlier. It's really annoying having to deal with him every day, he loves to overdramatize stuff. You wait, he'll be all smiles in a few seconds, I'd rather get moving before he gets back to his normal mood." Yoshirou just kept quiet, differing to the obviously more experienced girl. As he followed her up a set of stairs, Karin motioned for him to stop. He did as he was told as she peered quietly into the room, murmuring something to the inhabitants.

Karin suddenly pulled back, walking away along the corridor as Rukia emerged from the room. Her eyes opened in shock at seeing him, before settling back to normal. She suddenly said in a weird tone-"Yoshirou-kun, did you come here because I forgot something at school?" Eh? Yoshirou thought before he was suddenly pulled along into another room by the shinigami.

(Kurosaki's room)

Sighing irritably as she shut the door, she said-"Kon, get out here." Eh? Yoshirou thought for a second time, before jumping in surprise as a plush toy that was on the nearby bed sat straight up. "Is it another one of those shinigami, nee-san?"-the toy asked rudely as it seemed to stare at Yoshirou. "….it talks!"-Yoshirou said in surprise, before the toy rudely mimicked-"It talks! If I only had a girl for every time somebody said that recently, I'd be a very happy man." The toy suddenly sprung up from the bed, before sweetly saying-"But of course, nobody could beat Nee-san, right?" Rukia stepped forward, before suddenly kicking the toy, the toy rebounding with a soft squeak. The toy fell off the bed and onto the floor, murmuring something that suspiciously sounded like-"Ah, the feel of nee-san's kick…" Rukia now took the vacated bed for herself, sitting as she turned to face Yoshirou. "So, how come you're here then?"-Rukia asked as she made herself comfortable. Yoshirou scratched his head as he thought about what to say.

"All righty, I'll make it as short as I can, Kurosaki is going to be missing for a while."-Yoshirou said. Both Kon and Rukia seemed to suddenly pay rapt attention to him. Yoshirou continued, saying-"He didn't want anybody to worry over him, so he went about the best way to solve his problem. I'm the only one he told about it, he just didn't want to upset any of you guys." Rukia looked down at her legs as she thought about what he had told her. "…but why didn't he tell me?"-Rukia asked quietly. **Hoo boy **Yoshirou thought, thinking about the nicest way to put his next statement. "He was unsure about what might happen where he went, that's why he told me instead of doing it alone. You know him, take all the responsibility for himself type of guy, he only told me because he wanted somebody strong enough to help him should things go awry."

Rukia looked up at that, saying-"What do you mean by awry? What exactly has he done?" Yoshirou paced about the room as he explained-"He found some people who could help him, by awry I meant in case they said no. However, everything's fine, their going to help him become stronger, and to subdue that inner hollow of his, it's just that it might take a while." Rukia didn't reply to that, just staring quietly down at her legs. "Nee-san…"-Kon said quietly from the floor. However, she suddenly made a little smile, saying to herself-"…stubborn as always…" Sighing, she laid back on the bed, as she said-"So I suppose it's up to me to cover for him then? Well, thank you for taking the time to try and help again Yoshirou." Yoshirou grinned as he said-"No problem, everything always seems more fun with you guys anyway."

"And what the hell exactly is this?"-Yoshirou asked as he swiped down, grabbing the now protesting Kon off the floor. Rukia looked up, before saying-"A pervert lion" Lion? Yoshirou thought as he looked at the struggling toy. The designer must have been blind. "Get…your…hands….offa me!"-Kon shouted as he finally broke free of Yoshirou's grasp, landing back on the floor. He turned about, pointing one arm dramatically as he said-"I am the great Kon-sama! You have no right to mistr-aargh!" He shouted as he was cut off again, Yoshirou grabbing him a second time. "If I didn't know better, that's a Kaizou Konpaku in a doll."-Yoshirou said as he turned the toy about again and again, despite the shrieked protests.

"Oh? That's a good guess, you're the first person to get it right in one go."-Rukia noted as Yoshirou finally dropped the stuffed toy. "He's not the first one I've seen; I have a Kaizou Konpaku too."-Yoshirou said. The toy at first seemed ready to scream back at him again, but it halted in mid effort as it blinked surprised. "…there's another one of us out there?"-Kon asked hesitantly, to which Yoshirou nodded, replying-"Yeah, my personal Gikongan, he's good guy, I've had him for over half a century, not quite as rude as you though." Kon seemed to literally start weeping with happiness, at least as far as his facial expressions went; there were no actual tears to go with it. "Wow"-Yoshirou said at the sudden change in the toy's attitude.

"Your really that happy to learn there's another one out there?"-Yoshirou asked, to which Kon seemed to blow his nose on the bed sheet. How the hell is he replicating that without a proper body? Yoshirou wondered. "Ah…sorry about that…you're a better person than I thought if you've kept one of my buddies safe so long."-Kon said, still rubbing his button like nose with a felt paw. "Err, thanks?"-Yoshirou said, Rukia trying to hold back her laughter at the selfless words coming from the hypocritical lion. "Allow me, the great Kon-sama, to call you a friend!"-Kon said, holding a felt paw out to him. Yoshirou looked quizzically at Rukia, but she was still trying to hold back her laughter. Yoshirou bent down embarrassed to shake the paw, but the lion suddenly leapt up, giving him a vicious kick in the face…or at least would have been had he weighed more than half a kilogram, Yoshirou didn't actually feel it.

"And that's for manhandling me twice!"-Kon said as he walked away, nose held high in the air. Yoshirou couldn't help but feel pissed at the toy, grabbing it by its nose; he hurled it into the en suite of the bedroom, kicking the door shut after it. "Try getting out of that one you cheeky bastard."-Yoshirou growled as he heard the pathetic squeaks from the toy hammering its hands on the door. Rukia lost control at that point, laughing out at the antics before her. She quickly managed to get back under control as she remembered where she was. Breathing deeply, she said-"I was right when we first met, you really do resemble Ichigo, in just about every way, it's really strange. Maybe it's the other way around; Ichigo resembles you, seeing as you're the far older one. It's so strange, whenever I see you, you seem to resemble so many different people, you somehow remind me of both Nii-sama and Ichigo."-Rukia noted.

**Well, it's to be expected being me** Yoshirou thought to himself. **If Yamamoto told me the truth, it's more they resemble me than I resemble them, I'm supposed to be like some original which they fraction off from. Still, it must be pure luck that I resemble Kurosaki** Yoshirou summarised as he pulled the Soul Phone out of his pocket. Seeing how late it was getting, Yoshirou said-"Well, it looks like time up for me; I really do have to get back for my general ass kicking." Rukia looked quizzically at him as he stood. Noticing her glance, he explained-"I basically ignored all regulations and rules, going into the human realm with zero authority last night. Not like I regret doing it, but I reeeally don't look forward to what trouble I am in for doing it, I was on a temperamental leash as it was, I might get a little more than an ass kicking for this one."

Rukia nodded as she lifted herself from the bed. She quickly lead Yoshirou back out of the room and out of the house, carefully making sure nobody noticed their passing. As Yoshirou grabbed his trainers from the side room, he said-"Well, no promises that I can keep in touch, I could be under house arrest for a very long time after all. But I'll try and come by if I can." Rukia nodded, quietly watching as he went out the front door and back along the streets.

**Well, I'd best drop this off at Urahara's **Yoshirou thought as he walked along the street. Looking about, he noticed that nobody was nearby. Grinning, he started running at full pelt, causing a funnel of wind as he ran. However, what he didn't see was a shadow as something followed him, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, matching his speed perfectly as he ran, and keeping completely out of his sight.

(10 minutes later)

"Tadaima"-Yoshirou called out, using the traditional call as he walked into the store. However, he was surprised when Tessai popped out of nowhere, right in front of him, replying-"Okaerinasai!" (1) Yoshirou almost tripped over backwards, realising this was the second time he felt like that today. "Err, is Urahara about?"-Yoshirou asked, to which Tessai nodded knowingly, saying-"The Tenshou is downstairs." "Thanks."-Yoshirou replied as he headed to the area that he knew covered the entrance to Urahara's underground cavern. He was surprised as the floor opened before he even reached it, however he was twice as surprised at the person emerging at the hole. Standing upright, Yoshirou looked up to one of the very few people he had to look up to see face to face. Behind the giant, Renji emerged from the hole, looking nowhere near as battered as the giant before Yoshirou.

"Well, at least that was a start, next time at least try to hit me!"-Renji said arrogantly before meeting eyes with Yoshirou. "Hey, you game for a round? The big guy didn't even get me warmed up"-Renji asked as Chad shuffled away, looking worse for wear. "Well, I suppose I can, but what's up with Chad? He's a mess"-Yoshirou asked as Chad started to leave the store, not even saying a word to him. "Wait please Sado-san"-Urahara called as he emerged from the hole. **Sado?** Yoshirou wondered as the giant turned. Standing up straight as he cleared the hole, Urahara said-"Your not to be disheartened now, you're the one who begged for this, don't go looking down at it now after one hard fight." Chad stood still, before nodding slightly. Urahara clapped heartily as he said-"Now, I hear that you two plan to have a match downstairs now, am I correct? Sado-kun, if you would wait a minute, you may learn something from this fight…" Urahara turned to look at Renji, smiling as he finished saying-"…A Bankai isn't quite as impossible to best as you think."

Renji growled at hearing that, saying-"You think I've lost this already? Psh, he doesn't have a hope of beating me!" "Oh? I'm afraid you're underestimating your foe Renji-san. If your target is to best Kuchiki-san, then we can say that Yoshirou-san here is at least on equal footing as Kuchiki-san, even without the all powerful Bankai at his disposal." Turning to Yoshirou now as Renji blustered at his words, he asked-"Don't end it immediately please, I would like Sado-kun to learn the difference between Bankai and non-Bankai fighters." Yoshirou groaned as he followed Renji down towards the stairs. "Don't make it easy for me will you? I normally shut my foe down fast before the fight can go full swing." Realising another problem, Yoshirou quickly fished the Gikongan out of his pocket. Pushing down on the bear head, he swallowed the pill, before being forcibly ejected from the Gigai.

Urahara raised an eyebrow at that, saying-"You sure you want to use your Gikongan? The Gigai's not going to go anywhere if you leave it up here unanimated." Yoshirou shrugged as his Gigai picked itself up, now animated by the soul within it-"It would be a shame to let the Gikongan go unused." Yoshirou quickly jumped down the ladder following Renji. Urahara stood there watching the Gigai as a strange smile crept across its face. Shrugging as Chad passed him, Urahara murmured-"I'm not the one dealing with the consequences for this one, taking that particular Gikongan was a bad idea in the first place…"

(Training area)

**How many places look like this one? **Yoshirou mused as he walked over the rocky landscape, Renji muttering under his breath non stop as he walked ahead of him. It didn't take long for everybody to get ready, Chad and Urahara sitting at a distance away. Sighing as he remembered that he had been planning to leave, he cursed himself for getting pulled into another distraction. Drawing his zanpakuto, he held it to his side as he said-"Right Renji, any time you're ready." Across the way, Renji growled as he suddenly shouted "Bankai!" **Oh crap!** Yoshirou thought as the wind picked up about Renji. **I didn't think he'd go Bankai without giving me a chance to at least warm up!** Quickly swiping a hand along the flat of his blade, Yoshirou also called out _"Akariotorou, Taiyoukousen!"_

Along the sidelines, Urahara smiled as he opened his fan; glad he was finally going to get a chance to directly gauge the prowess the boy had made. However, he froze for a second as he more felt than sensed or noticed a new presence leap into the cavern behind them all. Nobody else noticed as the shadow settled itself upon a boulder, far out of range for anybody to accidentally glance and see the shadow. Murmuring to himself, he said-"Well, if Tessai-san let it in, there shouldn't be any complications." Chad turned slightly on hearing this, but refocused on the start of the fight before him.

Yoshirou's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. Coiled all about his foe was a massive bone-like weapon, a head rearing up above Renji as it roared loudly at him. "Hihio Zabimaru!"-Renji called out as his faced Yoshirou. **Holy crap, that's nasty!** Yoshirou realised as he felt Renji's reiatsu soar far beyond what it was before. **So this is the show of just what a Bankai can do?** Yoshirou wondered as he watched Renji smirk at his shock. "Heh, cat got your tongue?"-Renji asked. Yoshirou didn't bother replying, he needed some time to think**. It's probably a pure power type, however as a whip it's far more versatile than my weapon. I still have the edge in terms of power, my zanpakuto is practically unbeatable head on, but I have nowhere near the amount of momentum to match, that's one fucking huge weapon, unless all of my blows are direct on, I'm going to be in for a lot of pain…**

Spreading his feet apart into a more versatile stance, he thought **I need to gauge it's speed, if I'm the faster then I have a chance, but then again if he has Kido as well that's not going to work, all he would need is one slip up and I'll be done for.** Deciding on his next move, Yoshirou stabbed his Shikai into the ground as he started forming intricate movements with his arms, pulling up his reiatsu into his motion incantation. Renji, seeing the action, swung his hand. The Bankai reared like a behemoth, before flying straight for Yoshirou. **Hmm, it's slow** Yoshirou noted, realising he actually had enough time to finish his spell. He planned it only to be a decoy attempt at using Kido so he could gauge the movement speed, but now he had an opportunity to test the Bankai's direct power. Finishing his final movements, he crossed his arms across his torso, intoning _"Tate no __Ō!"_

Out of the ground before him, ten massively long thick spears of rock erupted, towering vertically over Yoshirou and the entire battlefield, nearly hitting the roof of the entire cavern. At least that's what it looked like, the rock was actually a product of his spell, physical construction of his reiatsu put solid. The material this spell was made of was a lot stronger than rock, or any other natural material that could be found. In the milliseconds as the behemoth covered the ground between the two, the massive spears split lengthwise six times each, flying down before Yoshirou's guarded arms in a two thick arrangement. The first pillars turned horizontally before the second set. As they were arrayed, just before impact, Yoshirou thrust has hands towards the shield, shouting _"Saigo no Joumae!" _With a massive clash, the pillars crashed into another, although instead of breaking, they melded, forming a cross lattice arrangement in the form of a massive shield, the rock changing form into a brilliant golden material. (2)

The Bankai smashed straight into this shield, crumpling before it as the front of the Bankai got stuck upon the small gaps in the shield. As Renji looked on in horror, his Bankai was utterly halted, coils collapsing in on another as the momentum that carried the Bankai forward was stopped completely by the shield that Yoshirou had summoned into existence. Yoshirou released his pent up breath, feeling his reiatsu drop substantially from the effect of his personal Kido. **Well I suppose that's what you get for using a personal amalgamation spell.**

_What were you thinking? The__ Tate no __Ō was obviously far too powerful for this situation, couldn't you read the power from the Bankai's movements?_

**No, I can't gauge all that within milliseconds, I'm not that fast a thinker** Yoshirou thought as he almost laughed at Renji's expression. "W-What the hell is that!"-Renji stuttered as he pulled on his zanpakuto, dismayed a second time as he realised barely a fifth of his Bankai had survived the impact, the rest of it scattered all about the field. Before Yoshirou could say anything, they were both distracted by Urahara's clapping. He called down to them-"My, my, isn't that simply magnificent! I'd never have imagined you have started making your own variation Kido already, it almost beggars belief! Not only that, that was a two step incantation barrier Kido, the strongest type that can possibly be made. A slight bit over kill for facing a Vice Captain's Bankai, even I would struggle to break that shield, but magnificent none the less!"

Yoshirou smiled at the compliment, but he felt the need to correct it before Renji lost all hope in facing him. "It's not perfect, in pure force it's almost impossible to destroy, but there's gaps in the shield."-Yoshirou said, placing his hand through one of the gaps in the enormous shield's lattice design for emphasis. "I don't have the kind of power to make a full shield, anything small enough to go through those gaps has no trouble hitting me." However, Urahara laughed at Yoshirou's attempt at humility. "Oh, nice try, but I can tell that's on purpose, the gaps are big enough so that you can use spells through the shield!"

However, Renji couldn't take it anymore. He leapt further away from Yoshirou, his reiatsu poured out of him as he said-"So what! You stopped one attack, let's see you stop this!" Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he tried to gauge Renji's sudden movement. **Is he gaining distance to try and increase the momentum for his next attack? But with only-. **However, Yoshirou stopped when he realised all the discarded parts of Renji's Bankai were now glowing brightly with reiatsu. He watched as the earth seemed to rumble about him, the discarded parts flying into the air all about him. As he watched, the points about each shell piece turned, before facing towards him.

…**no way!** Yoshirou thought as he realised what he was seeing, Renji had to be individually controlling each piece of the Bankai to attack him, he had cleared the distance so that he wouldn't get caught up in the strike. Renji smiled arrogantly as he shouted out-"Higga Zekko!" As Yoshirou watched, the parts suddenly started flying straight at him, building up speed. Yoshirou quickly reached down, wrenching his Shikai out of the ground where he had left it. If it hadn't been for the shield, he may have been crushed already, but the first few parts of the Bankai couldn't get past the barrier he had erected. However, the barrier only covered the area in front of him. From above, massive shell after shell started to rain down at him.

Yoshirou was forced into rapidly using shunpo to avoid each segment, the shield remaining where he had left it. It seemed Renji could individually control each attack to a point, every time his step ended, another segment rained down at him, forcing him to move again. Yoshirou quickly realised after repeating the cycle of dodging and avoiding for ten steps, this rain was not going to stop at this rate. Sighing irritably to himself as he avoided another attempt to crush him, dust flying everywhere as a segment pulverised the rock where he had been standing, Yoshirou considered his next moves. Across the battle field, Renji was laughing as he shouted back-"C'mon, I thought you were going to defeat my Bankai easily? All your doin is running and running more! You-"

However, he was cut off by Yoshirou reappearing in mid air close by. Renji directed another attack straight at him, but was distracted by the strangely smug grin on his face as Yoshirou disappeared again, shunpo-ing elsewhere. He realised exactly why as he saw what Yoshirou had done, the closest segment to Yoshirou's location had flown straight for the man, however Yoshirou had carefully picked his location, now the segment was hurling itself full throttle for Renji. "Tch!"-Renji hissed out with frustration as he whipped the handle of his Bankai forward, unable to stop the attack remotely. Before the segment impacted, the remaining parts of his Bankai coiled about his body, completely protecting him from the incoming blow.

"Oh, so your Bankai's real ability lies in defensive then?"-Renji heard a voice say nearby. Whipping his head up, he noticed Yoshirou staring down at him from barely a few metres away, analyzing Renji's ability. Renji grimaced in annoyance as he whipped the handle about, the remaining parts of his Bankai coiling about as they swung at Yoshirou. "And you need distance to get any power behind the blow."-Yoshirou noted, as he swung his Shikai down in a two handed grip at the Bankai flying for him. Just like he thought, the Bankai's momentum was much less now he had closed the distance effectively, the momentum not being enough to overpower the pure force of Yoshirou's combined strength and weight manipulation from his blade as the Bankai smashed downwards into the earth below Yoshirou.

Yoshirou sighed as he hefted his Shikai, looking down at the frustrated Renji. "Seriously, is that all your Bankai has?"-Yoshirou asked as Renji stared up at him. Renji whipped his sword handle down, at which Yoshirou went into shunpo again, in case Renji was going to use a follow up blow. However, as he reappeared on a rock further away, he watched as the remaining parts of the Bankai lifted again, reforming all about Renji into the original Bankai, its head reared as it roared at him once more. Yoshirou raised an eyebrow as he commented-"At least it's resilient." Renji started to lightly swing the handle about, as the Bankai started to roll about him into a strange complex pattern. "Yeah, Hihio Zabimaru is blunt, but every bit as hard headed as me, your not going to break him with those flimsy attacks."-Renji said, smirking slightly as the Bankai continued its coiling path about him.

Suddenly, the Bankai sped up, flying straight for Yoshirou once again. **He's really playing it simple** Yoshirou noted as he used shunpo, avoiding the blow, the Bankai smashing into where he had been standing. However, he noted that this time the Bankai wasn't stopping in it's path, instead swinging around for a second strike, it's momentum building again. **He can't possibly be trying to move it faster than me could he? **Yoshirou wondered as he used shunpo to avoid again, the Head biting and gauging furrows from the ground. **Sure it's got more power than I can handle, but that thing can't hit me like that. **Yoshirou noted as the weapon coiled about again and again, striking it's paths about him as he avoided blow after blow, wondering just how long Renji could keep up using so much reiatsu on futile attacks.

_Yoshirou, look around you!_

**Huh?** Yoshirou thought, until he realised the Bankai was now glowing again. Suddenly the parts started disconnecting further, held together by what seemed to be flows of reiatsu. He suddenly realised that the movement's hadn't been trying to hit him, the Bankai's course had taken it everywhere about him in one massive path. **Wow, it's much longer than I thought!** Yoshirou thought as he scanned all about him. Now Yoshirou was stuck in what seemed to be a cage of bone segments and chains of red reiatsu.

"Uh oh…"-Yoshirou said quietly as he heard Renji laugh from outside the cage. "You really didn't think I was wasting time with pointless attacks did you?"-Renji mocked as Yoshirou scanned the cage about him for gaps in the networks. Renji laughed again as he said-"This was all to get the next attack in, this finishes it!" Yoshirou watched as a gap appeared in the cage. He turned to take advantage of it, but the head of the Bankai roared again as it flew into the gap, plugging it with its bone like skull. Suddenly, the reiatsu from the cage about him increased massively as he watched a charge of super condensed reiatsu fly between the chains, moving from segment to segment. From nearby, Yoshirou heard Urahara call out-"Maybe it's just me, but aren't you slightly overdoing it Renji?"

**If it's enough to get Urahara worried, I might be in trouble** Yoshirou noted as he watched the reiatsu fly between the segments, speeding up as it obviously aimed for the head part. Yoshirou used his senses on the bullet of reiatsu, and quickly realised it was enough to seriously hurt him. **I don't think I can match that much power straight off** Yoshirou realised, quickly thinking on what he could do. His earlier shield technique only worked against physical attacks, a blast of reiatsu would just go through the gaps and hit him anyway. Unsure whether his next technique would work, but not seeing any other way, Yoshirou clasped both hands together on the handle of his zanpakuto, Yoshirou started to intone quickly-"_W__alls of iron sand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies…" _**Taiyou, I might need a little help for power on this one, I'd rather not eat that attack that's coming** Yoshirou thought as he continued his chant, five small lights of magic appearing about his clenched hands, circling in a pentagram setup.

_Agreed_

As the head of the serpent started to shine, power building in its mouth, Yoshirou finished his chant, saying _"…standing upright, silent till the end_." He swung his hands down quickly, feeling the power he borrowed from Taiyou depart as the earlier lights vanished. He called out_-"Bakudo no__**. **75, Gochūtekkan!"_ As he finished saying this, Renji shouted out-_"_ _Hikōtsu__ T_aihō!" Yoshirou wondered whether he would make it in time as the power started to condense further in the serpent's head, its eye sockets glowing with a hellish light. However, just in time five massive pillars slammed into the head of the serpent from above, smashing it to the ground and disrupting the connection between the segments. Yoshirou shunpo'd away as the head seemed to detonate with the force of Renji's technique, red reiatsu flying everywhere as the attack Renji used devastated the ground it was pinned too.

Yoshirou was knocked flying by the pressure from the explosion, spinning through the air again and again as he tried to get his balance back right. As he managed to pull his momentum into a more direct path, now pulling reishi about him to create a platform, trying to skid off the collected reishi to stop his backwards movement, Yoshirou saw that Renji had stayed where he was, his Bankai shielding him from the blast. **Damn, I really underestimated that Bankai** Yoshirou thought as he finally skidded to a stop. **Not only does it have power, but it's a bit more versatile than I predicted. **However, Yoshirou realised with surprise that Renji wasn't trying to use a follow up technique; he had all the time while Yoshirou was whipped through mid air to do what he wanted, since he was able to keep his footing.

**That's odd, he could have blasted me with a Kido, even if his Bankai is pinned **Yoshirou thought as he shunpo'd back down to earth, standing once more as he tried to brush the accumulated dirt from his Haori. Across the way, Renji's reiatsu surged as he used pure force to break the pinning Bakudo Yoshirou had used on his Bankai. However, quickly using his senses, Yoshirou realised that Renji had wasted a phenomenal amount of energy with his accumulated techniques; he was barely keeping his Bankai together. As Yoshirou looked about, he noticed discarded segments that had not been re attached after the explosion, although he doubted it was through choice. **He doesn't have enough reiatsu left to keep his Bankai altogether? **Yoshirou noted as he saw Renji panting slightly from the exertion. Yoshirou gauged his own reiatsu was somewhere above halfway, the first technique had chewed through a lot of reiatsu, but he had wasted little after that, even using a full chant instead of an Eisohaki on his other technique.

Renji on the other hand was barely holding it together, using those massive techniques must have cost him huge amounts of reiatsu, and he had been fighting Chad prior to this, although he doubted that fight took the majority of it away. However, he still looked up for a fight anyway, growling as he swung what remained of his Bankai about him, the head roaring once again as it flew behind him, staring at Yoshirou. "Stop messing about, use something more powerful or you're not going to beat me, Yoshirou!"-Renji shouted, bluffing that he still had power left to fight. Yoshirou sighed as he turned to Urahara, asking with his body language should he really keep it up. Urahara nodded discreetly from behind his fan, Chad still paying apt attention to the fight. Yoshirou sighed as he said-"All right, let's play it this way, one last attack, and that decides it right?"

_Yoshirou, why are you handicapping yourself? He's running on limited time, just wait and he'll burn it all out._

**Yeah, but as a warrior, that's a bit rude on him, he wants' to try and overpower me, lets give him one last chance, one all out move against another.**

_*Sigh* All right then, but your best will possibly kill him._

**Naw, that Bankai of his looks tough, it could handle it **Yoshirou finished as Renji smirked, taking Yoshirou's attempt at politeness as a sign of him running out of energy. Sighing with an arrogant air, Renji lifted the handle of his Bankai to his shoulder as he appraised Yoshirou. "Fine then, one last attack!"-Renji shouted as he whipped his Bankai about, what was left of his reiatsu channelled all into one last attack. Yoshirou raised his Shikai with both hands, pointing it forward as light started to collect before him. **Can you control the reiatsu for this one? Last time it hurt pretty badly when I tried doing it alone. **Yoshirou noted as he started chanting.

_You're using that! That's the spell you kept for facing Bankai level foes yes, but he's got barely anything left, don't be ridiculous!_

**C'mon, his Bankai can handle it, it's a defensive type anyway** Yoshirou thought, saying-"_Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness…"_

(P.O.V change)

Atop the rock face, Urahara watched as he saw both combatants pull out their last techniques. However, to his senses it was obvious who the victor would be, the energy Yoshirou was assembling slowly was literally pulsing the air about him, distorting Urahara's view of the focal point on his zanpakuto. It was obvious from the start who the victor would be, even if Renji was a Bankai user, he had little experience in its mastery, and he was facing perhaps the strongest zanpakuto Urahara had ever laid eyes on. However, he no longer concluded it was the zanpakuto that made him so powerful, the boy had yet to use a real move with it, he was pulling this insane amount of power from his own body. Both of the massive techniques he had seen today were obviously of the boy's own making, he truly earned his title as a Kido prodigy, the power Yoshirou was pulling out easily matched what he himself could manage.

However, at the rate things were going, Urahara decided he was going to have to step in. As he stood up, Chad looked up, distracted by the motion. He quietly pulled his sword from its cover, saying_-"Okiro, Behihime."_ As Chad looked questioningly at him, he smiled, saying-"Don't worry, I'm just going to make sure that nothing happens to Renji-kun." Renji finished pulling his reiatsu into his attack, roaring once again_-"Hikōtsu Taih__ō__!"_ Simultaneously, Yoshirou shouted out _"Hado no, 91. __Senjū Kōten Taihō!"_ As Renji's Bankai roared, discharging a massive beam of red reiatsu, Yoshirou's entire body blazed with light as the accumulated light about his zanpakuto fractioned off into numerous spears all about him. All these spears flew forward, crashing straight into the attack from Renji. As this clash happened, Urahara used shunpo himself, reappearing between the coils of the Bankai about Renji and Renji himself. Renji jumped with surprise as Urahara shouted at him, his voice barely hearable about the explosions in front of them-"Get your Bankai into defensive now!"

No sooner did he say this than a spear of light shot straight through Renji's blast, shearing the attack in half and smashing into the head of Renji's Bankai. Another three spears followed it in milliseconds, shearing the Bankai head into pieces, even though it was composed of hardened bone. Renji instantly pulled on his Bankai, what remained of it looping about him over and over again. Urahara could only hear explosion after explosion as Yoshirou's attack slammed into each coil, disintegrating each segment in turn with its pure force. **What a fearsome attack** Urahara noted as he raised his own Shikai before him, carefully tuning his reiatsu into the inverse pattern of the spell he had also mastered, intoning_-"Nake, Benehime!"_

(P.O.V change.)

**Oh shit!** Yoshirou realised as Renji was completely hidden by a cloud of fine dust, brought about by the destruction his spell had wreaked. Yoshirou had slipped down to one knee; he had lost control of the spell at the last second and put far too much reiatsu into it, even with Taiyou's help. He had forgotten to account that since he had started his Bankai training; his general reiatsu had grown considerably, so he didn't limit himself fully. He had watched in surprise as his spell had completely wiped out Renji's own attack, disintegrating the Bankai's serpent skull within seconds, he really had no idea whether the spell had done any major damage to Renji or not.

_Yoshirou, stop panicking and try sensing his reiatsu, he's fine._

**Really?** Yoshirou wondered as he tried to tune into the reiatsu before him. Sure enough, he felt a significantly weaker reiatsu from Renji before him, although judging from it's strength, it was due to exhaustion rather than injury. However, the second reiatsu that he could now sense surprised him. As the dust started to clear, Urahara stood before Renji, a red shield formed before him. Yoshirou guessed that was what saved Renji, although how the shield had managed to take that much damage and come out unharmed amazed him, either the shield was amazingly strong, or there was some kind of hidden trick to it, alike to his own Kyutensasu which absorbed reiatsu to increase it's own force.

Urahara let out a loud breath as he stood behind the shield, saying-"Really, I thought Renji was overdoing it with his attack, that one would have done a lot of damage if I didn't step in, what happened Yoshirou-san?" Yoshirou laughed quietly as he said-"Messed up on how much power I was putting in, sorry about that." Urahara sighed as he released his technique, the shield disappearing as his sword reverted back to a cane. Yoshirou himself remembered his earlier technique and clicked his fingers loudly. Across the battlefield, there was a resounding crack as Yoshirou's barrier broke in multiple places, disintegrating into dust that settled on the ground below. Pushing off the ground, Yoshirou sealed his Shikai as he faced the still shocked Renji, who was staring at the handle of his own Bankai.

As Yoshirou watched, the multiple scattered fragments of his Bankai glowed, before disappearing, flying as pink reiatsu straight at the handle of the Bankai, reforming as a broken katana. Renji narrowed his eyes at the sight of the broken sword, before sighing as he sheathed what remained of his zanpakuto. Looking up once again, Yoshirou was relieved to see a grin back on Renji's face. "The hell? All I could do was the same as against Kuchiki-san, make you fall to one knee, how the hell can you be that powerful?"-Renji asked as he walked forward. Yoshirou shrugged as he tried to stretch, his muscles tired from the amount of exertion his Hado took out of him. I'm really going to have to practice that one if I want to use it in battle Yoshirou thought as Renji walked past him. Behind them, Urahara had joined Chad once again, discussing the difference in strength between the two combatents.

After wearily climbing the entire way back up into the store proper, Chad finally got to leave, although Yoshirou was unsure whether the fight which he just saw was meant to encourage him, or if it just made him more down hearted to see just how weak he was. Shaking his head, he followed Renji back. "Well, I'm going to be heading back to Soul Society now, so I was just returning here to drop my Gigai off."-Yoshirou said as he caught up to Urahara. Upon mention of the Gigai, Urahara started casting glances about, before saying-"Well, I'm afraid we may have to search for your Gigai now… leaving the Gikongan in it may have been a bad choice…"

"Don't worry, I found it already."-Yoshirou heard Yoruichi call from another room in the store. While Yoshirou was glad that the Gigai had to be close at hand, Urahara smiled darkly behind his fan, curious at how it was that Yoruichi would be the one to find it. As Yoshirou made his way to the back of the store (looking curiously at Jinta as he passed, who seemed to be doing his best to restrain from laughing at whatever he just found immensely funny), Yoshirou opened a partition door, but froze at the sight inside. A few seconds later, Urahara walked over, saying-"Whatever's the matter, Yoshirou-sa-… oho?"

Inside, it seemed Yoruichi had found a rather curious thing to sit on. A figure of a man had been pressed down into the floor, trying to struggle to get free of the woman. Yoshirou's mouth was hanging open as he realised the form to be his own Gigai. Yoruichi looked up at seeing Yoshirou, smiling innocently at him. "Heyo, I just found myself a rather useful cushion! A rather strange one at that, I caught it watching me while I was getting changed earlier, and administered punishment swiftly."-Yoruichi said, patting the Gigai on the head as it continued its futile efforts to escape. "Really, how many more times are you going to be caught doing perverted things around me Yoshirou?" Yoshirou just stood there, agape at the sight before him. Eventually gaining his voice back, he whipped about to face Urahara. "WHAT IN HELL KIND OF GIKONGAN DID YOU GIVE ME!"-he shouted at Urahara, who quickly ducked back in case Yoshirou tried anything, his face still remembered the feel of an elbow strike from the last person he pissed off.

Urahara quickly snapped his fan shut, pointing the fan at Yoshirou accusingly-"Me? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. You're the one who required a Gikongan, you're the one who chose which one you wanted, I as the humble store owner can do nothing towards what you choose." Yoshirou stuttered in anger towards the trickster, as Yoruichi's head suddenly popped about the door. "Oh, so you actually chose the perverted one? I assumed it was Urahara having fun, but if you're really at fault-" However, whatever she was about to say was cut off, as the newly freed Gigai suddenly jumped at her from behind, grabbing at her breasts.

Yoruichi quickly kicked backwards, and Yoshirou was surprised at the way he cringed as he literally watched his own body take a blow in a rather precious area. As the Gigai crumpled to the floor whimpering in pain, Urahara stepped back to avoid the body. "Well well, I don't think I've seen one act that audaciously in quite a while."-Urahara noted as the Gigai had trouble breathing in, wheezing on the floor. However, Yoshirou was quickly backing away as he noticed that Yoruichi literally seemed to be surrounded by flames, her face twisted with a rather strange smile, one that promised pain unimaginable to him. **Oh crap!** Yoshirou thought as he started running. Suffice to say he didn't get very far.

(30 minutes later)

"Well why didn't you say you didn't know what type that Gikongan was?"-Yoruichi asked innocently as she sat cross legged opposite Yoshirou. Yoshirou could only grunt in pain as Tessai snapped the dislocated shoulder back into its socket. "I didn't exactly get the chance to, did I?"-Yoshirou said as he tried to move his arm once again, the muscles shrieking with pain from the abuse he had just suffered. Urahara was standing by the doorway, his fan conveniently hiding his rather amused smile at the way the entire situation had gone. Although it was going to take him hours to rearrange all the messed up stock, and quite a bit of money to replace all the broken items, he deemed it a fair trade for the amusement of watching Yoruichi beat the crap out of the weakened defenceless Captain.

"Ah sorry, sorry, Urahara said it badly, he'll be in for just as bad a beating later"- Yoruichi said with a smile. Urahara quickly took this opportunity to duck out of the door, retreating to a different part of the store. Yoruichi just sighed as he picked his now aching body up. Tensei stood up too, handing Yoshirou his Haori back. "I'll put your Gigai back into storage until you return, Yoshirou-dono"-Tessai said, bowing as he made way for Yoshirou to pass. Yoshirou walked out, carefully trying to put his Haori back on, hissing slightly at the pain from his shoulder. For gods sake, she's a hell of a lot nastier than I pegged her, I suppose former Captain isn't a title just for show. Still, I suppose she at least spared my balls, I just hope that Urahara fixes my Gigai before I return…

(P.O.V change)

As Yoshirou prepared to open a Senkaimon gate, a presence completely unknown to him watched from atop the Urahara store, totally silent as it watched the Kido Captain unlock the Senkaimon, a hell butterfly floating out to guide him back to Soul Society. As the presence watched, it felt the arrival of another person behind it. Urahara sighed as he walked forward, having guessed the identity of the mysterious presence long ago. As he stood beside the person, he asked-"So, what's got you so interested in this man?" The man sighed as he stood, revealing a shinigami uniform, a Haori tied like a sash to his left shoulder. "Who is he?"-Isshin asked, scratching his head as he contemplated the departed Captain.

Urahara sighed as he said-"Yoshirou Kenshin, the new captain of the Kido Corps. Now, like I asked, what was the interest in the man?" Isshin's eyes narrowed as he spoke-"I recognised him instantly when he walked into my clinic, that face, those eyes, and that zanpakuto…there's no mistaking it… but how? How could there be a direct descendant here, in this realm?" Urahara waited silently as he hoped that Isshin would elaborate upon his words. Upon him saying nothing, he asked-"Is this something to do with…them?"

Urahara's heart skipped a beat as he saw Isshin nod; he had never imagined that the man could be tied to the past which Isshin came from, the warriors of the Royal Guard. "But how? As far as I learnt, he has been a normal soul, lived in the normal limits, was discovered in Rukongai just like everybody else. Everything about him points to him being nothing more than a normal shinigami, how could he possibly be tied to the beings of the alternate realm?"-Urahara asked, hoping he could weasel more information out of his contemplative friend. However Isshin remained silent, not betraying anything that Urahara could learn from.

Urahara contemplated this information for a second, before saying-"Is it possible Aizen knows this too? Does this explain Aizens interest in Yoshirou-san?" Isshin turned sharply at the mention, before saying-"If Aizen has an interest in him, it will make things harder for us. The problem will be making sure he remains on our side, that boy could be a loose cannon. If Aizen persuades him to swap sides, we will be in a lot of trouble. It may even prove the better alternative to kill him should such a possibility prove itself true."

Urahara smiled as he opened his fan once again, saying-"Don't worry, he wont be changing sides, he wants Aizen dead just as much as any of us… but why would he changing sides be a problem? Surely he can't become that powerful?" Isshin shook his head, explaining-"Powerful or not, that's irrelevant. The problem is in his abilities, if Aizen managed to get him to work for him, then all of our plans are for nought, he could make his move straight away." Urahara paused as he digested this information, asking-"He can awaken the Hougyoku?"

Isshin turned away as he was asked that, preparing to leave. However, before he vanished, he said-"Awakening Hougyoku isn't the risk that he presents; Aizen's entire reason to go to war would be irrelevant if he had the Hikari powers to himself." Urahara was left standing there alone, the wind blowing eerily about him. "Well, that sounded interesting."-Yoruichi said as she emerged from the shadows. Urahara flinched, half expecting the promised beating to come, to which Yoruichi rolled her eyes. Urahara settled down, as he said-"Well, it seems he's going to prove far more interesting than I ever thought a century ago. A man tied to the higher realm, one who even Isshin seems to respect for the danger he may cause, interesting indeed…" Yoruichi shrugged, as she said-I'm not expecting much, even if he has all those spooky powers Isshin was going on about, he doesn't seem aware of them. Also, your right, he's not going to betray Soul Society, theres no need to do anything against him." Urahara nodded as he looked out over the stars. "The more interesting thing is what will happen when he faces Aizen in the war to come…"

* * *

**Well, chapter up! Sorry for the slightly sucky feel to it, the start part I thought was pure awesome, but after that I kinda got lost, writing about anything that came to mind. Hopefully, the next chapter will be far better than this one, seeya there!**

**(1) For all those anime fans that either (a) never noticed it or (b) only watch dubs, these terms are the most commonly used in all of anime (Well, Okaeri normally, but Tessai is always extra polite in his words, so I added "-nasai".) Yes I know I've never used em before, but I felt like throwing them in, they are the traditional ways of announcing "I'm home" and "Welcome home" (other words used = nicknames Teme and Baka, respectively bastard and idiot)**

**(2) If you didn't guess, I drew inspiration from Hachi's awesome techniques. This is a unique design that I came up with, a barrier designed to fully stop any physical attack used against Yoshirou. It's uses are slightly limited, but to make up for it, it's practically indestructible. The names used were "Shield of Kings" and for the reinforcement phrase, i just used "The Final Lock"**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well new chapter up, this was another difficult one, dunno if it even makes much sense. I'm having trouble writing now, the creativity is a bit harder to find. I'm hoping this chapter is any good, but i'm not too sure... oh well, read on as usual!**

**Update: Upon quickly reading through a second time, I realised I put the english for her Shikai release, which not only sounds odd, but generally I always use the Japanese version. Just correcting as I type.**

* * *

Another week had passed since Yoshirou's return to Soul Society. Just as he had expected, he was forced to sit through an hour long recital of the expectations of a Captain, their responsibilities and how he was blatantly disregarding them by the Sou Taichou, done in nothing short of an entire Captains meet as well. He was surprised by the fact that several captains seemed to support his decision of entering the real world at the time, since his presence brought about a mitigation of casualties. As it was, several of the shinigami had been severely injured, while he had been able to fight free of the general limiter, every other shinigami had been forced to endure a gruelling survival challenge against their foes until the permission came through to lift it. The only fact that mitigated the Sou Taichou's anger was Kyoraku pointing out that had the Espada made contact with the still sealed shinigami, then casualties would be severe. According to the facts that Mayuri brought to light, it was predicted that every shinigami other than Yoshirou, and the 3rd seat Ikkaku who was also free of the limiter, in the combat zone had a predicted 100% fatality rate against the Espada, by the time the limiters were lifted, the relief team would have been decimated.

These facts, and the spirited defence brought forward by Ukitake mitigated Yoshirou's punishment for his actions. In the end, it was decided that Yoshirou had his individual privileges to leave to the real world revoked until the time the Sou Taichou deemed the limit could be removed. Although it was a pain in the backside, Yoshirou accepted the punishment after confirming that he could still enter the Real World, but only under the authority of either an official order or mission. After the whole affair had been dealt with, the rest of the normal information was a blur, until it came to the confirmation of Aizen's target.

While Yoshirou had known all along what Aizen was after, since the Sou Taichou had confirmed it for him long ago, it seemed the general proof had been discovered by Ukitake in the Soul Archives. Yamamoto explained the whole target being the Kings Key, however Yoshirou had discovered anew that meant that Aizen's target was actually Karakura town. Apparently in a process using the Jūreichi (1), which was currently located in Karakura town, the Jūreichi could be converted into the Kings Key. However, this would mean the complete destruction of everything within the Jūreichi as it converted into spiritual power. In other words, the annihilation of Karakura Town.

Everything had moved fast in the following days after that, including the unexplained sudden absence of the Sou Taichou. While hidden from general knowledge, the Captains were aware that the Sou Taichou had departed for the real world in order to commence preparations for the coming war, Yoshirou was especially aware as he was requested to send his squads Kido specialist teams into the Human Realm, the Barracks rather empty after nearly a quarter of the squad had departed. He had not been able to establish contact with them, but Kyoraku had told him not to bother, contact wasn't allowed anyway. At the same time, a district within Rukongai had a forced evacuation after a hollow attack was detected there. Yoshirou had however not detected any hollow presences there on the day, Mayuri had laughed when Yoshirou had asked him about it later, insulting him for his simplicity if he really believed such a ruse, however he hadn't been able to get the truth out of the scientist either.

It wasn't all bad news and hurried preparations though, Yoshirou was surprised only two days prior when Kira had told him of the inclusion of ten new members to the squad. Yoshirou had forgotten that it had been getting pretty close to the graduation date for the Shinōreijutsuin, and was surprised even further when Kira had told him of the new recruits. All the recruits had been hand picked to join the Kido Corps due to their blossoming talents for Kido, although many of them were surprised at their allocation to their new squad. It had apparently been a recent decision that they were relocated to the Kido Corps; many of them had expected places on the 5th and 6th Divisions, one of them were even destined for the 12th Division.

One of them, a kid who looked more suited to lounging around bars than being a Shinigami had been down right rude in their first meeting. After Yoshirou had used a Sho spell to fire a training ball off the kids head, also showing the recruits their first glimpse of Eisohaki, he had found himself extremely popular amongst them.

Now, a week on from the last arrancar incursion, Yoshirou was taking another break from his Bankai training to watch over the new recruits practice sessions. As always, the Aizen clone had once again proven itself impossible to best, Yoshirou was actually starting to become slightly suspicious that the test was an unwinnable one. He had figured out long before that it wasn't supposed to be with pure technique that he defeated the clone, but no matter how he went about fighting his foe, it never changed. He had tried forcing himself to think only of defeating the foe in front of him, but that didn't work. He tried quelling his fear of Aizen, but that didn't work. He had even seen if by not attacking, anything changed. That only made the clone hit him worse.

Yoshirou had even taking to asking several Captains how they attained their Bankai's, but they all replied with essentially the same answer, and none of the answers seemed applicable to his fight. The fights weren't all for nothing, his strength as a whole was increasing as every day he pushed himself to the limit against his implacable, unstoppable foe. Each time he fought, it took a little longer than the previous day before Yoshirou was once again out for the count, his reiatsu limit increasing substantially as he continued his all out struggle against the clone.

He was also finding as he fought more and more, his techniques were getting more accurate, his timings improving massively. The clone's movements were perfect, timing showing absolutely no breaks in its techniques or opening in its guard. It also showed perfect ability in countering his attacks; Yoshirou never found that the clone put out more than was necessary in its attack. As such, he was starting to see where the weaknesses were in his moves, and correcting them, shaving milliseconds off of each strike that he made, tightening his guard. However, it still proved inadequate, his foe was perfect, Yoshirou wasn't no matter how much he improved, and he couldn't overcome that barrier.

He was starting to think that perhaps he couldn't succeed, that perhaps it wasn't up to him to obtain it. That was the kind of mood he found himself in as he got up this day, and he thought perhaps by watching others improve themselves, he might find the spark to do it himself. As he watched the recruits practice, he was struck by how similar it was year's back, when he was with his own group of recruits. **Hell, we were a funny bunch anyway** Yoshirou mused as he saw the seated officers watch over the recruits, taking it in turn to point out their faults and to give instruction. Even Kira had joined in with this, finding she was able to work easier with the younger recruits than many of the older officers could.

**I'm sure we were a little better than this though…** Yoshirou thought as the arrogant kid from the other day overstepped the mark again, desperate to try and master the Eisohaki skill even though he was barely a few days out of the academy. Once again, his spell backfired as a seemingly red cannonball detonated in his face. **Seriously? He doesn't even have enough control for the first ones **Yoshirou laughed internally, surprised that the kid picked himself right back up, planning to repeat his stunt again.

**Well, least he has guts…** Yoshirou mused as once again, the spell detonated in his face, this time Kira running over to help the smoking kid up. He was about to get off his seat, planning to perhaps tell the kid to stop trying to kill himself, when he noticed someone standing by the door. **Him again?** Yoshirou wondered as he recognized the member of the Onmitskido standing in the shadows of the door. Ever since his embarrassing total defeat at his hands, it seemed the man had decided to take the role as chief delivery boy between him and Soi Fon. His face was entirely covered, but Yoshirou had started to develop the ability to subconsciously recognize nearby reiatsu without trying to sense it, almost like a new sense that was automatically flicked on in his head. He wasn't sure when it developed, but he literally woke up four days ago with the ability, Taiyou just as confused as he that it had happened, putting it down to another latent ability that had awoken.

Yoshirou sighed as he picked himself up from the seat. If the Onmitskido delivery man was here, Soi Fon had probably found some spare time for another training session. Walking over to him, he watched as the man disappeared back into the corridor. Walking out the door, Yoshirou turned to the man as he bowed. "You do know there are message boys who could take this task off your hands, right?"-Yoshirou asked. Yoshirou was unsure, but he thought the man smiled beneath his mask as he said-"I see it an honour that I can both deliver messages from my leader, and deliver them to a person such as yourself, do not worry about whether I see the task as below me." Yoshirou raised an eyebrow at the man's tone, but said nothing of it. "Well, if you're really planning to remain the delivery boy, you got a name I can call you?"-Yoshirou asked, although the man shook his head sharply in refusal, stating-"We are the sword from the shadows; our names are not needed to complete our duty."

**So what the hell am I supposed to call you?** Yoshirou thought irritably as the man snapped to attention, reciting-"_We are to meet at the usual place as soon as this message is delivered." _Yoshirou sighed as he said irritably-"Always the same message, not very creative, is she?" The man hesitated, before saying-"I would say that I would consider any message given an honour, so it would be most petulant of me to comment like that." Yoshirou nodded, before realising the man was actually chastising him quite blatantly. As he was about to say something, the man vanished.

**Cheeky bastard, does he think he can get away with it because I don't know his name?** Yoshirou wondered as he walked back into the training hall, seeing Kira tying bandages about the young recruit's hands. As he walked forward, the recruit noticed him, but unlike what Yoshirou expected, there was a rather excited light in his eyes upon seeing him. **Did I hit him harder than I thought?** Yoshirou mused as he reached the pair. "Hey Kira, going to be missing for a while again, Soi Fon's summoned me again so your going to have to handle the new guys for a while."-Yoshirou said as Kira finished with the bandages about the kid's hands. Before she could actually reply, the recruit suddenly spoke up, saying-"Taichou, teach me how you do that technique, the one you used yesterday to skip incantation, no matter how I use it, it doesn't work!"

Sighing, Yoshirou asked-"Why? Eisohaki is a bit high stuff for you guys, stick to the stuff you can handle, your going to lose your hands if you keep that up." The kid sneered as he stood up, arrogantly saying-"Well, if I get this done, then I'm going to be able to get you back for what you did." There was silence about the room, as just about everybody heard the kid arrogantly challenge their leader, however, Yoshirou couldn't help but smile at the kid. Laughing, Yoshirou kneeled before the sitting boy, raising a hand up before the kid. "Watch closely…"-Yoshirou said quietly, before drawing on a fraction of his power. The kid gasped in surprise as a red fireball collected above Yoshirou's palm. "Wh-What the…"-the kid said in surprise, the other recruits gasping as well at the sight, although the other officers just rolled their eyes at the sight, it was no longer quite so amazing to them to see their leaders mental casting ability.

"Tell me kid, what's this spell?"-Yoshirou said as the young man stared at the ball in his hand. "S-Shakkaho…"-he said quietly. Yoshirou nodded, dispelling the spell as he said-"When you can do this, no casting, no names, no nothing, you can try and see about getting me back" Yoshirou stood back up, stretching. However, he was surprised as the kid thrust his palm out towards Yoshirou, pulling a face that made him look constipated. Yoshirou laughed at the look as the guy pulled his palm back, looking disgruntled at the lack of any effect. "Well, he's got the will to try. Kira, I got an idea for you."-Yoshirou said, turning to the woman. Kira half guessed what was about to be said as she raised her hands up, saying-"No, no way!"

"Well why not? Your one of the few people in the squad who's never had the chance to play teacher, why don't you take the kid under your wing? I'll even make it an official order!"-Yoshirou laughed at her, quickly shunpo'ing for it as Kira shouted-"TAICHOU!" back at him. Yoshirou quickly found himself outside the barracks, noticing that the trees in the squad garden were starting to bloom prettily. **Maybe I'll lie down there again later…** Yoshirou thought off hand, not sure of when it was that he last had time to just laze in the gardens like he used to. **Bah, I got work to do I suppose** Yoshirou noted as he started to use shunpo.

(5 minutes later)

Yoshirou had deliberately pushed himself with his shunpo, wanting to test out just how fast he could go now between areas. As he found himself clearing close to 300m with his best step, he was pretty surprised by the results. **It seems Kyoraku hadn't been joking when he said that hitting more than 500m was possible** Yoshirou mused as he landed by the cliff face. He had found that once again the amount of reiatsu his shunpo consumed per step had increased in line with the distance. Now it's about ten times as much reiatsu Yoshirou thought, trying to gauge how much it was in comparison. He was surprised that his body didn't feel any effect from the increased loss of reiatsu, his body had adjusted to his use of shunpo enough that a normal flash step was as easy as a normal step. He no longer found the need to concentrate when he wanted to use shunpo; his body automatically accumulated the reishi about him for his own use. It felt a bit odd that he had adjusted so fast, but after remembering how Soi Fon was able to intermittently use shunpo in her combat style, he shrugged it off as a natural thing for Hakuda users.

As he looked up the cliff, he found it rather amusing how much his views of distance had changed over the last month. Now he just thought of stepping up to the top in one move, whereas a month ago it took him literally five minutes to leap from rock to rock, climbing the mountainside. For the sake of reliving old times, he decided to scale the mountain without using Shunpo this time. It still only took him three minutes, his leaping distance in general having increased due to his training. As he landed at the top, he was struck by how different the clearing looked at morning times. He had nearly always been summoned in the past in the afternoon; the only times Soi Fon apparently got free from her busy schedule. The ground still had a small covering of dew on the grass blades, and the tree's swayed gently in the morning breeze.

**I see why she likes this place so much** Yoshirou thought as he touched down on the ground, looking about for her. He was surprised that she wasn't waiting for him as usual**. Is she late?** Yoshirou wondered as his eyes glanced across the place. Normally she was always on time, being late seemed a bit odd for her. As he walked across the glade and sat on a log, he looked out at the morning sun, wondering how long it would take for her to appear.

…_Yoshirou, are you going to pay attention to your surroundings rather than the view?_

**Huh?** Yoshirou thought at Taiyou's sudden interjection, but suddenly realised that she was right as he started seeing stars, something having punched him on the back of his head. Falling onto the ground in surprise, he heard an annoyed *tsk*noise from whatever hit him, although now his mind could deduce what had happened. He had made a mistake, Soi Fon was never late, her not being visible didn't mean she wasn't there.

_That's why I said pay attention; she was hiding by the trees, just out of your sensing range._

**And you didn't tell me this why?** Yoshirou thought annoyed as he rubbed his head. "I'm sure the last time I warned you to not let your guard down no matter the situation? It seems these lessons are becoming more basic survival teaching than actual lessons."-Soi Fon said dryly as she walked out from behind where he had been sitting, watching him as he picked himself up from the dirt. "Well, that was one helluva way to say good morning."-Yoshirou grumbled as he stood back up. Soi Fon shrugged lightly as she replied-"Well, if that caught you off guard, you probably needed it to wake up properly." Yoshirou muttered a couple of random comeback under his breath as the stars started to disappear from his view.

Still rubbing his head in annoyance, Yoshirou asked-"How come so early today?" Soi Fon sighed as she said-"With the Sou Taichou out in the real world, there's no work going for the Onmitskido or 2nd Squad, I just figured getting on with your training would be a decent way to spend the time. Also, Omaeda just wouldn't shut up about some family crisis that's going on; I needed to get away from the idiot." Yoshirou laughed at the idea of a family crisis for the fat man, most likely nobody had stocked food for his dinner. Standing up, he said-"So, what's on the lesson agenda today?" Soi Fon looked at him, before asking-"Why can't you get your Bankai?"

Yoshirou was taken aback by the question for a second, before replying annoyed-"If I knew why, it would be a hell of a lot easier." Soi Fon stared at him for a few seconds, making him feel rather uneasy. She suddenly threw her Haori aside as she said-"Prepare yourself." Yoshirou raised an eyebrow in surprise, before seeing her draw her blade. "Err… what exactly are you doing that for?"-Yoshirou asked as he backed away slightly, unsure if he had said something to annoy Soi Fon lately or not. "I said prepare yourself!"-Soi Fon said as she suddenly started pulling on her reiatsu. As Yoshirou watched in surprise, she intoned-"_Jinteki Shakusetsu, Suzumebachi_!" Her zanpakuto disappeared as it seemingly folded about her hand, turning into a yellow and black patterned hand weapon.

**What the hell?** Yoshirou thought as he backed away. However, he suddenly froze as he realised an arm was across his shoulder, stopping his backwards movements. He heard a voice say-"Ready yourself, or your going to die." Yoshirou used shunpo to try and escape, but as he moved away, he felt a sting on his cheek. Reappearing further away, he saw that Soi Fon had managed to get behind him, and had hit him on the face with her zanpakuto. He saw out of the side of his eye that a portion of his face now had a strange black symbol upon it. **Houmonka!** Yoshirou panicked as he remembered the sigil **Is she really trying to kill me?**

Across the way, Soi Fon whipped her arm down, the stinger showing a trace amount of blood from where it had cut his face. She looked levelly at him as she said-"Why are you hesitating? You haven't even drawn your katana yet." **Think, think! Why does she want to kill me now?** Yoshirou wondered, still hesitating to draw his blade. Soi Fon vanished again, at which Yoshirou realised something; **she's much faster than before! Has she never really used her full speed against me before? **Had it not been for his hearing, he would have missed the movement, his eyes unable to keep up with her now unbelievable speed. Yoshirou heard the ground crunch as she appeared beside him, intent to land a second blow. Yoshirou quickly used shunpo, disappearing again himself.

However, he didn't expect her to guess where he would reappear, the stinger flying out once more no sooner than his foot touched ground, his chest stinging sharply as he was hit a second time. He ducked the follow up blow, throwing himself forward onto his hands, as he flipped forward, trying to escape the pursuer. Before she could take advantage of him landing, Yoshirou placed a hand on the ground, red smoke bursting out from where he hit the ground as he activated the Sekienton spell. Holding his breath, he threw himself forward again, having memorised the exact land lay of the clearing in the seconds between slipping and activating his smokescreen. He dove straight off the edge of the mountain side, losing his pursuer in the smoke as he hid himself amongst the trees, suppressing his reiatsu.

He watched the smoke clear as Soi Fon stood in mid air away from the cliff edge, looking about the forest below for him. She crossed her arms as she spoke-"Textbook escape, lose your opponent, use advantage of the terrain to hide, perfectly done, I'm surprised. But…why are you running?" Yoshirou started in surprise at hearing the second part, accidentally giving himself away by a sudden branch snap. Soi Fon kicked one of her legs forward in his direction, something firing out of the robe legs. **Hidden blades?** Yoshirou wondered as he was forced to move, the knives raining down about him. He knew instantly he was in trouble, Soi Fon was an assassination expert, she would know instantly how to read the signs of a fleeing prey, he was out of his element. Just as he thought, he felt the air displace as Soi Fon appeared again nearby him. "Are you afraid?"-Soi Fon accused as she seemingly floated down beside him, attacking again. Yoshirou was forced to take the blow with his arm, a third Houmonka spreading from where the stinger pierced into his skin.

Once again, Yoshirou used Shunpo to escape, this time swinging his arm behind him as he casted Tsuriboshi, a net of Kido springing out behind him. Soi Fon hadn't expected the unorthodox spell, and was halted as she hit into the rubbery summoned safety net, no longer able to catch up with him. Yoshirou vanished once again, diving into the forest. This time, he focused hard as he activated a Kido he rarely bothered to use, going completely invisible as he whispered his incantation_-"Bakudo no. 26, Kyokko…" _He was now completely hidden from his pursuer, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down, still shocked by Soi Fon suddenly deciding to try and kill him. Soi Fon appeared in mid air as she used shunpo to watch over the valley. "You are afraid, you're afraid that I'm going to kill you!"-Soi Fon shouted out at the forest where she knew he had to be hiding. "You coward! You run from a foe who is stronger than you, that is how nature works, the prey hide from the predator who hunts them!"

Yoshirou couldn't understand what she was getting at, she was the one who had suddenly turned on him with no explanation, using a technique designed to bring death to her foes. "But I thought you were meant to be free of that, a man who protects others with his sword rather than himself! When did you become such a coward that you would run from me, just because I can kill you! How many times have you fought foes who could kill you, and ran for your life? You didn't even try to fight back, just running like a cur whose been whipped by its master!" Yoshirou couldn't understand her words though, he would fight to protect people, but what was there to protect here? She had just attacked him with killing intent for no reason.

"Are you afraid of him too? Are you going to run just the same when Aizen comes to kill you?"-Soi Fon then shouted out. **What the hell is she on about now? **Yoshirou wondered as Soi Fon continued to stay in mid air, as if waiting for him to make his appearance rather than hunt him down. "He's going to come for you just the same as I am now, and he will kill you if you do not face him! Not only you, if you run, others will die too! I will not let you continue to live if all you are is a liability on the battlefield, that isn't the type of man I want standing beside me when we face Aizen!"-Soi Fon continued to shout out at the forest. Yoshirou was now routed to the spot, her words finally sinking in.

"You told me on that hill that you would protect everyone, and risk your life to do so, even against me! Yet all I can see is a scared man that has been beaten once and broken by it! You desperately fling yourself into new fights to try and throw the fear of death away, desperately becoming stronger to just avoid death, but when it comes for you, all you do is cower and run! That's why you can't attain your Bankai; you're not even suited to being a soldier any more!" Yoshirou paused as he heard those words, they were a bit far flung for this situation, but they did make sense. **Taiyou…do you agree with her?**

_It's not up to me to change what you feel, I'll follow your path to it's end…but yes, she is right, ever since your defeat at the hands of Aizen, a fear has settled in your soul, the sun has been blotted out in your inner world. It's why your opponent in your test wont take you seriously, it only ever cuts you, it doesn't try to kill you because all you would do is run in fear and give up... _

…**Shit, never really thought about it that way…** Yoshirou thought. Up in the air, Soi Fon shouted one last time-"If you're going to prove me wrong, to show that those were more than just mere words, then get out here now and fight me! Face your death on your own terms, or I'll kill you as you hide!"

(P.O.V change)

Soi Fon stood in the air as she shook slightly, her throat hurting a tiny bit from all the shouting at the hiding man, her thoughts in turmoil at what she had done. She was right, it was that he hadn't overcome his defeat was why he was still unable to continue, she didn't like how she had to threaten him like this to get him to see it, but she thought that nothing less would help him. Her own thoughts cringed at a couple of the accusations she had flung at him; some of them were downright cruel. He was the same as her, abandoned by their mentors a hundred years ago, but they had suffered differently.

While she had taken the betrayal to heart, over coming it being one of the trials for gaining her own Bankai, he had been alienated and abandoned by the whole of the Gotei 13, but had believed in his mentor while she hadn't. She envied him that he could wholeheartedly trust in people and say whatever he wanted truthfully; it was a trait that she had looked up to in her former master as well, and one that she felt drawn to in him as well. However, this whole fear that he had to overcome was perhaps a harsher trial than her own, she had an at the time indefinite amount of time to heal, as she thought she would never see her mentor again.

However, he had to face his trial once again in merely a few months when Aizen made his move once more, and he had to be ready for an all out fight to the death war between Aizen and Soul Society. If she failed to improve herself, she faced humiliation at the hands of her mentor (which she partially did), however, if he failed, he was dead, she couldn't be kind towards him at those stakes, there was no way she was going to see him die like that. She had to make him face his own turmoil, even if she had to be unbelievably harsh to make him see it, she felt only she could see the difference between them as she felt that he was suffering a kindred feeling as her. Many of the other Captains had suffered their trials, but had others to help them, both she and now Yoshirou had both been alone to try and overcome it. Nobody had understood her feelings of betrayal at her teacher abandoning her, and she could see that none of the other Captains could sense that fear hiding inside Yoshirou. He was far too open and optimistic, only a person who had known others of the same trait could see part of it was a façade.

As such, it was up to her to make him see. She was unsure whether her words had worked or not, there was no response below, in full honesty she was unsure whether he was even there any more, he could have fled in fear of her killing him. If he had, then this was a failure, not only would the problem not be solved, but she would have permanently alienated him away from her. Sighing, she started to scan the tree's again, using the lessons Yoruichi had taught her to search for her foe. **But how can you find a foe who's Kido puts him in another world of understanding? **Soi Fon thought, he literally could be standing behind her for all she knew. She was about to give up, when she suddenly felt a spike of reiatsu from the forest below. This spike quickly changed into a torrent, as gold reiatsu flew wildly from among the tree's, ripping several tree's apart with it's force, and growing ever wilder as it's owner pulled on even more power.

**Shunko!** Soi Fon realised as she felt the force reverberate about her senses, her own skill that she had learnt copied by the man in mere minutes. There was an explosion as the fiery cloud of gold reiatsu flew up from the forest floor, leaving burnt trees and broken logs in its wake. **Here he comes!** Soi Fon thought as she felt his reiatsu grow in proximity to her, its feel distinctively different from minutes prior. The storm of golden reiatsu settled away from her, as Yoshirou stood, his posture changed dramatically from the fear she had seen earlier. He had banished all the feelings from his thoughts as he stood before her, his easy grin on his face as he stood before her, eyes blazing gold to match his own power. **He really needs to wear different clothing if he's using Shunko…** Soi Fon thought off hand as she was once again distracted by his naked muscled torso, his clothes destroyed from the use of Shunko, his body showing where her own mark had been shown, the Houmonka spread across his chest, face and arm.

"Thanks, Soi Fon. Your right, if all I do is run, I'm never going to succeed at this. If I'm afraid of dying, then I can't protect others, I have to release my fear of death to protect what I care for!"-Yoshirou said, even his words feeling powerful from the energy he had pulled together, resounding once again with his determination as it had on the Soukyoku hill when they had last faced each other, each prepared to fight to the death for their beliefs. Soi Fon smirked at his new confidence, trying to hide the strange feelings she had felt when she had last heard him speak like that, hammering away in her chest. Pulling on her own reiatsu, she activated her own Shunko, her power funnelling about her like the wind as she heard a keening noise about her, the wind echoing in the same way that she heard his reiatsu crackling from the force it exerted on the air about it.

Settling into her own stance, she asked once again like she did on that day-"You're going to follow that path to it's end then?" Yoshirou raised an eyebrow, recognising her words, before smirking as he crouched down into his own stance, replying-"Always." There was silence for a heartbeat as they faced each other, before Yoshirou seemingly vanished, his attack mind blaringly fast as he went on the offensive. Soi Fon barely managed to avoid the incoming attack, even reinforced with her own Shunko, the force of his punch passing her blew her back a metre. **He really has become stronger!** She thought as Yoshirou vanished once again, not even giving her time to plan a counter. Although her Shunko was active, the difference in combat experience with the technique was as obvious as night and day, not only was Yoshirou a natural at the technique, but he had used it in combat against foes far stronger than himself, he already had a grasp of the nuances of the technique.

Soi Fon raised both her arms to block the incoming attack, Suzumebachi's gauntlet groaning as it took the force of his kick. Comparing him to even a month ago was stupid, she clearly felt in the power department he had left her behind even before they had started, her main advantage being combat readiness and experience against stronger foes. Now that he had adapted for the difference, she could feel that he was already surpassing her. As Soi Fon went on the offensive, Yoshirou ducking and weaving about her own attacks, Suzumebachi missing its intended target over and over again, she could tell the difference. He was still a bit slower, but whatever training he had been doing had perfected his reaction times, even when she suddenly boosted her speed earlier, he had sensed her attack, even though she was perfectly sure she would be too fast for him to stop.

Soi Fon broke away with shunpo, getting some distance. She swung her left leg forward, her right leg having already used the supply of hidden knives she kept, a trick she had learned while fighting her former teacher. As she watched, the blades flew forward at him. Yoshirou was a bit too late to stop them, blocking the blades with his arms, the blades piercing his arms. **What the?** Soi Fon thought, having thought him fast enough to dodge them. "Gotcha"- a voice said from behind her ear. Soi Fon jumped with shock as she felt her sword arm pinned to her side, a second arm pulling down on her body as both she and her foe plummeted to the ground. As she watched, what she thought she hit vanished into nothing. **Utsusemi! But I never taught him how to use that technique!** Soi Fon thought in shock as her braids whipped past her head as she plummeted down. There was a crash as she and her foe hit the ground, a crater forming from their impact.

However, she felt no pain, the crash had been from Yoshirou's feet impacting with the earth, he was still holding her in mid air, although in a position the suggested he could have easily smashed her into the earth. **No way!** Soi Fon thought as she saw Yoshirou's face appear above her, a childish grin on it as he declared-"I win." Soi Fon stared at him in shock, before smiling slightly. **What an idiot…** Soi Fon thought as she lashed her foot up, catching Yoshirou off guard on the side of his head. He dropped her, spinning about in a daze from the unexpected attack, having thought she would stop after he declared victory. Flipping up from the ground, she caught the dazed man, who froze as he realised the stinger of her gauntlet was mere inches from the wound on his torso.

"…cheater..."-Yoshirou relented as he surrendered.

(P.O.V change)(A few minutes later)

Yoshirou sighed with aggravation at the condition of his shihakshou, once again destroyed completely. **I keep thinking I'm not going to use Shunpo because this happens, but I always end up doing it anyway **Yoshirou whined internally. He was glad that his torso no longer had any strange tattoo like designs any more, after his surrender; Soi Fon had somehow made them vanish, after touching the one on his chest it had vanished. He found it a bit odd that the other two vanished as well when he checked without her touching them, but forgot about it quickly. The wounds had already started to heal, so Yoshirou didn't bother using any spells on them. However, they were both surprised when Soi Fon stopped her Shunko, only to yelp with pain from her arm, his attack having done more damage than either had predicted. It was only a tiny fracture though; one that Yoshirou quickly healed after Soi Fon had finally relented on letting him see her arm, her face glowing with embarrassment by the whole situation as she had to sit for a few minutes close beside him while he tended to the wound.

She had practically leapt away after he had declared it healed, which surprised Yoshirou, he didn't think her the type to be unsettled by being too close to people. She was twisting her arm, seeing if the muscles still worked correctly as he tried to remember just where exactly he had dropped his Haori amidst the forest. As Soi Fon noticed his worried gaze, she said-"You do realise you can just get your Haori replaced, right?" Yoshirou jumped with surprise at the statement, but dismissed it anyway, explaining-"If it's all the same, I'd rather keep my first Haori, just a memento thing." Soi Fon just said-"Idiot…", although she also felt the same as she remembered that she kept the original Haori that she had gotten following her promotion for nearly seventy years before it got too damaged to be used further. Yoshirou suddenly went-"Ah!" before vanishing, reappearing seconds later with Haori in hand, smiling at his success.

As Yoshirou smiled, he noticed Soi Fon's gaze on him, turning, he heard her ask-"Who taught you how to use Utsusemi?" Confused, Yoshirou thought back through the fight, wondering what she meant by Utsusemi. Realising which one it was, Yoshirou said-"That's not whatever technique you're saying, that's my own design, Bunshin." Soi Fon just looked confused at him, before suddenly splitting into multiple versions of herself. Yoshirou was taken aback as he saw fifteen copies of her standing identically across the new clearing he had made. "That's Bunshin, a high speed technique to create after images."-Soi Fon exclaimed as she turned back into one. "…but none of them have a corporal form, they all match the movement of the original, whatever you did had an individual form, as if there were two of you, that's not Bunshin." As Yoshirou stood, he said-"So what do you call this then?" To Soi Fon's surprise, he seemed to split into two individuals, each one acting individually of the other. The only thing that gave them away was the movement of dust at their feet, the cloud was being kicked up too roughly for their movements, Yoshirou was constantly swapping between each location before her eyes could register he had moved.

Soi Fon just stared in surprise as Yoshirou returned into one, before shaking her head, saying-"All right, we'll just call your one Bunshin as well for simplicity. Still, it seems you can use it just like Utsusemi, it was enough to trick me into letting my guard down. I actually think it might be superior, since with Utsusemi, the moment you leave, whatever you used takes your place, the illusion lasts less long than yours did. It still seemed to be you getting impaled at the same time as you pinned my arm to my side."

Yoshirou just shrugged as he started stretching, his back getting stiff again. He quickly gauged how much reiatsu he had left, at about a bit over half. Soi Fon had less, although she was strong, compared to the other Captains, she had far less total reiatsu than the average, seeing as she had barely a quarter left now, Shunko being a massive drain on reiatsu no matter how you used it. Yoshirou's might have drained a bit slower due to having greater experience, but it was still quite a lot to lose. He doubted that Soi Fon intended to continue the training session for today.

He discovered he was right after Soi Fon used Shunpo to vanish, leaving him alone in the clearing. Always leaves without a word Yoshirou thought, but smiled anyway. Although it had been quite a nasty ordeal, in the end he felt he might have figured out a way to face his Bankai after all. **So, it's fear of death that is why I'm having such trouble? **Yoshirou wondered as he slipped his Haori back on. **How exactly do I deal with that then? **Yoshirou thought about it for a second, but was surprised when a noise interrupted his thoughts. Soi Fon had reappeared in the clearing, although now plus a Haori. **Oh, she went to get hers too?** Yoshirou wondered as he turned to her. He was surprised however when she suddenly took a deep breath, before saying-"I have to apologise for what I did, seriously intending to harm a fellow Captain is unforgivable no matter who it may be."

Yoshirou laughed, before saying-"Don't worry, I wont hold it against you, you were just trying to help me anyway." Soi Fon nodded, accepting what he said, before thinking to herself. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly asked-"Do you have anything else to do today?" Yoshirou was taken aback by the sudden question, before thinking on it. "Nope, just training as always, no orders are going to be coming through till the Sou Taichou gets back anyway, why?" Soi Fon seemed to think for a minute, before saying-"As a way's of apology for what I did, you can… escort me to the human world for a while; I have some… business there today." Yoshirou thought the way she made it seem like the reward was a chore was slightly odd, but decided he would agree; after all he could only go to the human realm now while escorted due to his privileges being removed. "Yeah, I have some free time; sounds like it could be fun too. Okay, I'll go with you."-Yoshirou said. Soi Fon nodded, before turning away quickly; however Yoshirou noticed that her face was showing red again slightly.

**Huh? I only agreed to escort her, what's there to be embarrassed about?** Yoshirou wondered.

…_Yoshirou, she said earlier that she had no work to do today, she's lying obviously._

**What? Yeah I suppose she did** Yoshirou thought as Soi Fon said-"Meet me at the 2nd Squad Barracks in about an hour; we'll use the Senkaimon in the barracks themselves." Just as she was about to disappear, Yoshirou followed Taiyou's hunch as he asked-"What business are you up to exactly?" She seemed to hesitate, before saying-"It's just a general order for scouting about Karakura for any hollows." **Wow, you're right, there's no way a Captain would be asked to do that.** Yoshirou thought as he noted-"That's an odd order for a Captain…" Soi Fon glanced over her shoulder, before saying-"You can either keep questioning me and not come, or just shut up and take the excuse to go with me, your choice."

**Now she's snapping at me? What is she exactly up to?** Yoshirou wondered. He was distracted by Taiyou suddenly laughing in his head. **What?** Yoshirou thought, but wished he hadn't, in the second he took to think it; Soi Fon vanished, along with the answer he was after. **Oh great, now I have no idea what she wants** Yoshirou growled internally as he used shunpo to leave.

_So that's what she was asking (laughs)! Trust her to try and find a roundabout way to ask…_

**What are you on about?** Yoshirou thought as he made his way back to Seireitei; however Taiyou refused to give up whatever she had figured out that was still eluding him.

_You'll see later!_

**Huh?** Yoshirou thought, even more confused now by his zanpakuto's rather ambiguous words. Ignoring the continued laughing in his head, Yoshirou continued on his way back to Seireitei.

* * *

**Well chapter up, sorry if it's a cruddy one, i'm just hitting a difficult patch on trying to find inspiration, hopefully future chapters will be better!**

**(1) Important Spirit Grounds: Essentially Karakura Town lol**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the extended absence, medical problems, had to go to hospital for them. Might as well tell any loyal readers about this, if for any times I have extended dissapearences from the FanFic world for longer then, say two weeks, i'm probably back in hospital. My heart is being a right bitch on me again, bloody heart murmer from when I was a baby, thought it was gone, it's coming back in a rather nasty way, minor heart attack that lasted a second. It's more like it skipped a few beats before restarting on me, but enough to get me yanked into hospital, haven't been able to concentrate right cause of it. Discharged now, with a warning that i'm to be carted back if it seems to repeat itself, but hopefully not. How many people can claim theyve lived through a heart attack when their still less than 20?**

**Still, I got bored of doing nothing, and i'd rather have fun writing than moping about the chances of a repeat performance, just thought i'd throw the warning out to let you know I didn't dump my writing, i'm probably in hospital if theres a lengthy absence of writing.**

**Anyhow, new chapter up, if the writing seems off, i'm sorry, my head is a teensy bit distracted at the moment, please put up with it for a little while.**

* * *

"Remind me, why the hell did I actually listen to you?"-Yoshirou asked as he stood in the middle of his room, watching a person go rummaging in his cupboard. Once again, the woman managed to pull another robe out before dumping it in the growing pile in the centre of his bed. "Because I told you to, that's why."-Taiyou said as she stood in her materialized form. No sooner then Yoshirou had returned to his room in the Kido Corps Barracks, planning on changing his damaged robes for new ones, than Taiyou began going on at him in his head to materialise her, not giving a reason for her request. Yoshirou had inevitably given in, since her ranting in his head was giving him a headache. He was now regretting haven given in, she had been insistent on him changing into something other than his normal shihakusho, although she offered no explanation for this either. Twice he had attempted to walk out, but once again Taiyou had proven herself nowhere near as dainty as her looks suggested, roughly yanking him back into his room.

He had been forced to endure her ransacking his room for clothes, at which the majority of the time she just threw back away in distaste. It was beyond odd that she was acting this way, asking to be materialised in the first place was pretty big, and foiling any attempts to dematerialise her as well was another problem. He had never heard of any shinigami having a zanpakuto that acted up the way his did, Kyoraku had spoken before of how in battle, he couldn't fight properly because his zanpakuto was only willing to play particular "games", not do what he wanted. Yoshirou didn't have the problem of his zanpakuto acting up in battle, but she did do her best to drive him crazy at times.

**Whoever thought it would be a good idea for zanpakuto's to be so independent, he was an idiot **Yoshirou thought to himself, another point of when she was materialized; their minds were no longer connected so he could get away with thinking whatever he wanted. "You've still not explained just why you're doing this!"-Yoshirou complained as Taiyou started looking at the assembled pile of clothes. "Well, first off…"-Taiyou started saying, comparing two different Kimono's she had snagged. "…your far too conspicuous in normal clothing, you and I both know your not meant to be in the human realm at the moment…"-Taiyou continued as she dumped one of his old practice robes back in the cupboard, in a mess which made Yoshirou cringe (1). Shaking his head, Yoshirou said-"That's not why, I broke enough rules in earlier years going where I shouldn't, you never told me to disguise myself before. Even if it was for that reason, those are my favourite relics you're treating horribly; some of those are worth a lot to me!"

"What, you consider your old academy uniform as precious?"-Taiyou asked, hanging the said article in front of him before chucking it back into the wardrobe. "Yeah, I like all my old stuff, and you still haven't explained just what the hell your doing!"-Yoshirou exclaimed in annoyance. Taiyou frowned as she compared the last two articles of clothing she had obtained. "Trying to deal with your ignorance, that's what."-she muttered to herself, before finally deciding upon what clothing she liked. As she chucked the other one back into the cupboard, Yoshirou saw that what she had chosen was a particularly strange set of clothing he had owned. When he had first started to learn Hakuda, he had been annoyed by the Hakama that was on the normal Shihakshou. As such, for when he was practicing by himself, he had bought a special set of robes designed for easier movement, a special Uwagi and Zubon combo both made out of a plain white material (2). Nothing special, but was rather reliable for when he had complex combination attacks to practice. He rarely used it nowadays, he had adjusted his uniform years ago so that there was a concealed split in the uniform Hakama which allowed him to use his legs freely in combat, as such the old practice gear had just gotten left in the closet.

"What exactly are you on about with dealing with my ignorance?"-Yoshirou asked as Taiyou put the chosen clothing onto his futon. However, rather than answering, she said-"Exactly what it sounds like, now you have about twenty minutes to get washed and ready or your going to be late. You don't want to keep Soi Fon waiting now do you?" As she said this, she moved around him, before literally shoving him in the direction of his room's attached bathroom. "Seriously, what has gotten into you?"-Yoshirou asked as he suddenly found himself shoved the entire way into his bathroom. Taiyou rolled her eyes at his constant questioning, obviously harbouring some kind of information that she was keeping to herself. "Look, just do it, I'm not letting you go to the real world in a mess, it reflects badly on the both of us!"-Taiyou complained as she got the water running.

**When the hell did she figure out how to act like a normal annoying woman, I'm sure this isn't how zanpakuto's work at all!** Yoshirou complained internally as he started stripping his top off. He glanced meaningfully at Taiyou to get her to at least leave while he was bathing. Rolling her eyes, she left, muttering to herself-"Like I haven't seen it all before, we've shared the same body for two centuries idiot." **Any man would be freaked out by a random woman watching them changing anyway; it's twice as weird when it's a female part of your own soul doing it!** Yoshirou mentally shouted back at her, knowing that at least for now he could think what he wanted liberally. **Seriously, how do people deal with different gender souls anyway? **Yoshirou wondered as he finished changing and started using the bath.** I know Kyoraku and I both have different gender souls, while nearly everybody else has a same gender one, I would have pinned it down to the difference in our zanpakuto's, but Urahara has a female zanpakuto as well. Who in hell decided how it's possible our souls can have two different genders anyway?** Yoshirou posed the question in his thoughts, before remembering Taiyou couldn't give an answer anyway due to being materialised. Growling to himself, he proceeded with getting ready.

(18 minutes later)

After a quick wash, and putting on the robes that were left out for him on, Yoshirou was preparing to leave for the appointed meeting, still feeling strange that he was wearing such old clothing. "You're forgetting something!"-Taiyou said as she picked up an object from his desk. Yoshirou turned, catching the thrown object as he recognised his sealing bands. "Ah crap, I would have been in a lot of trouble if I forgot those!"-Yoshirou exclaimed as he put them on, slightly annoyed that despite their old purpose having been perfect, his reiatsu was now rising to the point that even with them he was throwing out reiatsu that would surpass an average 3rd seat of the Gotei 13 at full power (3). Well except Ikkaku Yoshirou thought as he suppressed some of his reiatsu by willpower to lower it further. **Pain in the ass having to suppress myself mentally, but oh well.** Yoshirou thought as he lifted his zanpakuto and sheath, motioning for Taiyou to dematerialise so they could leave.

"Yoshirou, how do you feel towards Soi Fon?"-Taiyou suddenly asked, surprising Yoshirou. "Eh? Can't you just tell that from reading my emotions?"-Yoshirou asked, not wanting to waste much more time. Taiyou shook her head as she replied-"Certain emotions are a bit hard for me to tell apart, and also I would like to hear it from you directly." Yoshirou lowered his sword sheath as he considered the question. "Well…"-Yoshirou said, unsure how to say it directly, he had never had to explain his emotions to Taiyou before, she normally got the gist of it from reading his thoughts. "Well, I respect her greatly, she's a good teacher and guide, if a bit rough around the edges on her methods."-Yoshirou explained, although this answer didn't satisfy Taiyou. "I said how do you feel towards her, not whether you respect her or not."-Taiyou said, as if expecting a different answer.

"Erm…"-Yoshirou said as he tried to think of what else to say. "I like her, although she's very sharp tongued, she has a deep loyalty towards whatever she respects. She always tries to give me decent advice whenever I ask her, and although it generally revolves about taking the piss out of whatever she feels like talking about, she has a decent, if slightly warped, sense of humour. Although she often hides her real emotions from others, I like it that she seems to speak more freely around me…"-Yoshirou said, trying to think of just what kind of response Taiyou had wanted. Taiyou sighed though, shaking her head-"I know all that, that's the easier part to understand. I know you two get on well with each other, but I want to know how you feel about her directly."

Yoshirou was confused by her words, before finally understanding what answer she was trying to hammer out of him. "Why are you asking me that!"-Yoshirou exclaimed, glad that their mental connection had been severed while she was materialised, the thoughts that went through his head from understanding what she was getting at would have been a bit harder to explain to her. He hadn't really considered Soi Fon in that light, and the random memories and thoughts that Taiyou asking this had caused were causing his head to get mixed up. "Y-You know I've never thought about her like that!"-Yoshirou said back at her, trying to cover up for the flush caused by the question. Taiyou looked at him before saying-"So you wouldn't like her that way." "That's… not what I meant…"-Yoshirou said hesitantly. In all honesty, although he had never thought of her that way, he could understand why Taiyou was asking the question. Soi Fon was one of the few people he enjoyed talking to and spending time with, even a couple of the other Captains had pointed out their relationship looked suspiciously closer than it was.

And although he hadn't considered it before, in her own way Soi Fon was attractive, very much so. She didn't have the drop dead figure of some woman, her previous mentor Yoruichi noticeably being one of them, but she had a petite frame that was perfectly shaped and, although he wouldn't dare tell it to her face, made her seem prettier than many others, a unique characteristic that he rarely saw in others, mostly people only looked for the voluptuous women, even he wasn't immune to their sight, but he didn't like the idea of a relationship with a person like that ( he could never see how so many people were compelled by Hitsugaya's lieutenant, that was a point of being too big.) Also, because she was petite rather than drop dead, she held no fixation or vanity towards her looks, something Yoshirou would have never been able to put up with in a woman. Although Yoshirou knew otherwise from experience, her looks made her seem fragile and precious, both she and him shared the same characteristic of looking frailer than they were, his own lean frame massively out of proportions with his hand to hand capability and pure strength.

**Can't believe I only just get out of a near death trial with her and my zanpakuto poses that kind of question to me** Yoshirou thought astounded as he tried to think of what to say next. He had to admit, now that Taiyou had pointed it out, he did feel attracted towards her as well. He didn't have as much a fixation with outer looks as to the person themselves, it was the main reason why he hadn't given in to Yoruichi's constant attempts to tempt him, he personally preferred a less raucous person than that. However, even though he liked her, and she was friendly towards him, that was all it was, friendship. Finally calming his thoughts, he said-"It doesn't really matter, even if I do like her that way, she wouldn't be interested in me, she spends more of her day insulting me than anything else." Taiyou seemed to frown, before saying-"Now you're trying to avoid giving me the answer, tell me honestly whether or not you like her."

Sighing in frustration, he asked-"Why do you need to know so badly?" "Simple, I share the same soul as you, whoever you choose will also affect me, and I told you ages ago that your emotions will also carry over to me. I'd rather you chose sensibly according to your feelings for a person than for the looks of a woman, and you're as close to Soi Fon as I've ever seen you with another person. As far as I can see, she would be a perfect person for you to be with."-Taiyou explained, making Yoshirou even more embarrassed by the fact that half of his soul was acting like the decision was already made for him. "But-"-Yoshirou started to say, but Taiyou suddenly stopped him, saying-"It's simple, either you like her, or you're not interested in her."

Yoshirou stared at her, trying once again to make a reasonable answer, but suddenly Taiyou dematerialised, returning back into his sword.

_Well, I suppose the answer can wait, I just wanted you to know my side of it, now if we wait any longer, your going to be late for your…escort mission._

**For god's sake, how in hell am I meant to face her now you've brought all this up!** Yoshirou thought as he ran out, feeling strange wearing the completely different set of clothes. He was glad nobody had been about to overhear their conversation, the team that Yamamoto had commissioned for the human realm meant that the barracks were empty enough for nobody to hear his chat. As he got outside, he vanished using Shunpo, heading towards the 2nd Division before he was late, feeling rather conspicuous in his white clothing.

(2nd Division Barracks.) (10 minutes later (This makes it 10 minutes until the meeting time))

**Odd, no guards at all?** Yoshirou wondered as he walked into the barracks. As far as he could see, the grounds were totally deserted, not a man in sight across the open grounds. Tuning his senses, he soon discovered that he was wrong. **Underground?** Yoshirou wondered as his eyes scanned the open areas. There was no sign of the entrance points towards the supposed network he could sense a small team of shinigami working around. He could tell that he was watched by at least four men, the guards that he had thought weren't present. One of the other signatures suddenly moved, heading along whatever network lead towards the 2nd Division Barracks, where the main concentration of reiatsu could be felt.

He suddenly felt the intent in the four guards change; through their reiatsu he could feel their change in stance. **Uh oh, I knew going out without a shihakshou would have been a bad idea!** Yoshirou thought as the four guards suddenly appeared what he had assumed as no entrances in fact being magically disguised in a way he hadn't noticed. **Trust the supposed descendants of the opposite clan to be able to catch me off guard **Yoshirou thought as he watched the guards converge on him instantly, short blades poised to strike the unidentified intruder down.

"Okay, that was unnecessary…"-Yoshirou complained in the instant they struck, he had spun on the spot, catching the blades on both of his palms, two blades per hand, sparks striking where he had blocked them with his own reiatsu. Even though his powers were sealed, there was no way a normal guard would have enough strength or power to stop him, or even scratch his body, but he blocked them because he didn't fancy having his clothes damaged by the men. The men made noises of shock and surprise at the way he had stopped them so easily, but unlike what Yoshirou thought, they recovered fast, leaping away from him in case of a counter attack.

**Hmm, the Onmitsukido, they certainly are made of different stuff to the normal shinigami **Yoshirou thought as the men landed, blades poised before them at the ready, their surprise already dispelled. **Within an instant, they accepted the difference between themselves and me, but still prepare for a second attack, tenacious…** Yoshirou thought as one of the men shouted out-"Identify yourself, Ryoka!" Yoshirou almost laughed at the term after the weeks before where he had fought to help the real Ryoka rescue Rukia. He prepared to answer, but a noise alerted him to movement behind. Ducking, he watched as a blade stabbed over his head from behind, one of the guards trying to kill him while he was off guard, the blow would have gone through his vulnerable neck from behind. **Heh, their taught how to take stronger foes out, and no mercy to an intruder** Yoshirou thought impressed, as he stabbed a finger behind him, sending the guard flying across the field with a Sho spell.

In the opening when he had attacked the man, the other two converged on him from opposite sides, intending to catch him in a cross blow while he was still dealing with the first attacker. Yoshirou saw them approach before timing his pivot, the blades crossing under his arms instead of hitting his body. Locking both arms down on the handles of the shorter swords, Yoshirou spun faster, throwing both men across the fields in opposite directions, their Wakizashi sent flying by the move. **One more to go **Yoshirou thought as he heard the rustling in the grass as the last man charged him from behind. However, a sudden ringing as metal clashed with metal surprised him.

Turning about, he saw that a new member of the Onmitsukido had blocked the final man's attack. The man leaned forward as he said-"13th Seat Tushin, you are ordered to stand down. You received no order to lead your unit to attack guests to the squad." The man bickered back about Yoshirou being an obvious Ryoka, before receiving a sudden stinging blow from the first man. "You're a fool if you can't recognise a Captain of the Gotei 13 when you see one! Now leave or I swear I will have you court martialled for this disgrace you have brought to our squad!"-the first man shouted back in a voice that was now starting to sound familiar to Yoshirou. The man on the floor picked himself back up, before surprising Yoshirou with a bow to the man who had struck him. As he vanished, Yoshirou realised all the men he had disarmed had also vanished with him.

The man who had stopped the assault turned, his strange grin barely recognisable beneath his usual mask, but Yoshirou recognised the voice and reiatsu signature. "Decided to come see your favourite delivery target got in safe did you?"-Yoshirou asked to the man, the same one who had only delivered the message to him earlier that morning. "Yes, I'm sorry about the unauthorized attack, but you did bring it upon yourself not coming in uniform, I'm guessing your here to see Soi Fon-taichou? If you would follow me, I believe she is waiting for someone at the Shihoin Senkaimon."-he replied, before starting to walk along the open field that covered the entrance to the barracks. "Wait, Shihoin Senkaimon?"-Yoshirou asked, curious as he followed the man.

He nodded, before explaining-"The leader of the 2nd Squad has control of the Onmitskido and everything on the grounds of the 2nd Squad. This also includes the informal Senkaimon gate used by the Shihoin clan, the Shihoin Senkaimon for easier naming. Normally, this would only be accessible by the current head of the clan, who would also be the instated head of the 2nd squad. However, the family fell out of power after the apparent betrayal of their current head, Shihoin-tai… Yoruichi Shihoin, and as such control of the gate was left in the hands of the 2nd Squad successor, Soi Fon-taichou. I'm quite surprised that the gate is being prepared, I don't remember it being activated since Yoruichi Shihoin was our Captain."

Yoshirou was quite surprised by the way the man was talking, so he asked out of curiosity-"How old are you?" The man laughed as he replied-"I don't tend to keep track of my exact age, it get's tedious after so long and serves no practical use, but I'm at least 400 years old, older than both Yoruichi and Soi Fon-taichou." Yoshirou jumped at that remark, the man was at least twice as old as he was. The man glanced at him as he said-"Right now, your wondering why a 400 year old man is a weaker man than you, correct?" Surprising, he's right Yoshirou thought as they continued to walk, going around the Barracks instead of into them. "The answer is simple, talent. Yours exceeds mine by a long shot, Kenshin-taichou, so you have become stronger in a shorter time than i. Also, you don't know my full power, you can't gauge me just yet, suffice to say that in my life time, I have been an instructor to both of our Captains on the finer arts of…Ansatsu."

Yoshirou jumped in surprise at that comment. **What the, he was much weaker than me, I overcame him in an instant, how can he act like a big shot!** Yoshirou pondered as the man grinned with a hidden knowledge before him. However, a certain memory of the day they encountered each other filtered through his thoughts. When he first noticed the man, he had only figured out it was heading for him by the direction it's reiatsu was going, he could feel no intent to attack from the man before he made his move. Also he had only detected his presence after he was close enough to attack, both skills he had not encountered before in an opponent. **Wait, if his reiatsu held no distinguishable intent, what's the chance that wasn't his reiatsu? **Yoshirou wondered as the man slipped a hand into his uniform, pulling a small box out. Suddenly, Yoshirou realised the source of his reiatsu had moved, it was inside the box.

Yoshirou halted in surprise at what he was being shown. The box had its own reiatsu source, but he was detecting nothing from the Onmitsukido member, not even a hint of the mans presence. If he wasn't standing there smiling at him, he would never have known he was there. Smiling, he concealed the box again as he motioned for Yoshirou to follow him, saying-"I'll tell you this, your right in that your still stronger than me, but strength is not my forte." "Well, if that's the case, how come I defeated you so easily?"-Yoshirou asked which received a slight laugh. "Because of my mission's parameter, had it been an assassination order, you would not have been so lucky. Anyway, it's irrelevant, and I still don't plan to give you my name, we from the Onmitsukido never give our names to others outside our branch and the Commander in Chief."-he stated, before suddenly clapping his hands. "Well, here we are."

Yoshirou looked about him, without having realised it, they had actually passed the field entirely and were now walking on a flagstone covered courtyard. Across the way was a strange Senkaimon of a design Yoshirou wasn't familiar with. Much smaller than usual, this Senkaimon looked alike to the portals used to return to Soul Society from the Human Realm instead of the massive gate that was used at the main nexus Senkaimon, or the massive informal portal atop the Soukyoku Hill. The Senkaimon was somehow coloured red rather than the usual stone effect, with a gold pattern inscribed across the edges to show the sigil of the Shihoin house. **Wow, makes me wish my squad had a Senkaimon of its own** Yoshirou thought as he noticed a silhouette of a person standing before the portal. Turning to talk to the Onmitsukido man, he realised he had vanished, disappearing the moment he had shown him where to go.

**Didn't even notice him leaving, he really is a bit more skilled than he let on** Yoshirou thought as he walked over to the portal. As he got closer, he managed to make out that it was indeed Soi Fon standing before the portal, her black clothes making it hard to see her. **Wait, black?** Yoshirou thought as he walked closer to the waiting Captain. He could see that it seemed he wasn't the only person dressed in different attire; she seemed to be wearing some loose fitting variation of the Onmitsukido uniform (4), her normal braids seemingly taken out. Now that she had forgone them, Yoshirou could see that her short hair was actually not that short. While the fringe was still cut short, there was an amount of hair tucked into the back of her clothing out of sight, quite a lot more than he had expected from the size of the braids, but it gave her a more elegant look than normal, the edges of her hair not sticking out in every direction like it usually did.

However, as she turned he could see that the hair and clothing was about all that had changed, she still had the same semi annoyed look on her face that she adopted whenever she was thinking to herself, although it seemed to change to surprise upon seeing him. Yoshirou couldn't help but stare at the Captain, the thoughts Taiyou had brought up earlier proving distracting again as she said-"It's surprising to see you coming earlier than usual. And it seems you changed to more suitable attire too, if not a strange one, why white?" Yoshirou shook his head in an attempt to dispel his overactive thoughts, thinking I knew this was going to go wrong. Smiling cheerfully to try and cover his lapse in concentration, he said-"Just felt like a change of style, same could be asked of you, how come you're wearing that, hair down as well."

Soi Fon turned quickly away while crossing her arms defensively, replying-"Just because I normally wear combat clothing doesn't mean I don't wear anything else." **But that's still a uniform you're wearing… **Yoshirou pondered as he walked beside her. Now they were close, Yoshirou was struck once again by just how small the Captain was, the top of her head only just reaching his own shoulders. He remembered the time when he had helped her awaken her Kido ability that had also proven a problem, one he had to kneel in order to solve. However, once again the thoughts from earlier creeped up as he remembered the soft feel of touching her back as he was literally embracing her that night, something he had thought was just part of what was needed at the time but now held a different feel for him. He was forced to turn his head away, lest Soi Fon noticed his sudden change in thoughts from his expressions. **For god's sake Taiyou, why in hell did you have to bring that all up on me, I'm not going to get through this without making some stupid action now!**

_*Sigh* Perhaps I brought it up because your nothing if not blind? Besides, judging from the looks of things, it seemed my hunch was right._

**Wha-?** He started to think before feeling a sharp elbow in the ribs from the diminutive Captain beside him, reminding him he wasn't exactly alone. "Are you planning to just stare off into the distance for the whole day? The portals already finished charging so we should get moving."-Soi Fon said at him over the hum of the portal, now completely charged. Rubbing his side, he watched as Soi Fon started off ahead of him, a hell butterfly flying out of the portal to act as her guide. Bracing himself for whatever difficult venture he was about to go on, Yoshirou followed her through the portal, a second hell butterfly coming out to be his guide. As they walked through the portal shut behind them, sealing the exit back to Soul Society.

(P.O.V change)

In the 12th Division Barracks, a minor alarm was playing on the computer system from Mayuri's mainframe computer system. Mayuri growled in patience and annoyance at the alarm, recognising the tone as the one assigned to general warning notices. Beside him, Nemu watched as Mayuri refused to acknowledge the alarm, hoping it would turn off before it continued to annoy him further. "Mayuri-sama, the alarm is-"-Nemu started to say, before receiving a stinging back hand slap from the scientist, knocking her back into the railing as he raged-"I KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THE ALARM IS BLARING IDIOT! IT IS NOTHING BUT AN ANNOYANCE WHICH WILL TURN ITSELF OFF"

Picking herself up as she wiped the tiny trail of blood from her mouth where the blow had caused her to bite her lip badly, Nemu apologized-"My apologies Mayuri-sama, but the alarm is from a subject you set yourself." Mayuri turned about to hit her again before freezing, remembering that he had indeed set a particular alarm. Deciding her punishment took second place to whether this was the alarm he wanted, he spun about to face the organ like set up, his fingers flying across the keys. Closing down the complex algorithm page he had been studying for the formula for his recent experiment, he opened the warning system, his heart leaping for joy as he recognised it was indeed the alarm system he had wanted, a inter dimension crossing alarm set for the Hikari boy.

A week ago, he had nearly suffered a heart attack from over excitement at the discovery of what the brat did during his attempt to save the forces in the human realm. The fight had been immensely interesting, an amazing display of power on both the Espada foe and the boy himself, especially the strange adaptation signal he had discovered fluctuating in the boy's Reiryoku. As he fought, his Reiryoku fluctuated according to his techniques, as if adapting to whatever style he tried to optimise his performance, it was as if his Reiryoku was malleable to his will, a super computer that controlled the micro fluctuations within his power to optimize performance, something he had never seen before in his entire career as a scientist. He also seemed capable to bend new abilities to his will at a dramatic rate, only five minutes into the usage of his Shunko skill and his body had adapted to maximise the output while minimising the drain on his reiatsu total, something that usually came with decades of training, but had been adapted in one combat situation.

It also explained his sheer adaptability, it was as if whatever he wanted to do, his Reiryoku manipulated itself to do so. When he had used his last technique, his Reiryoku signature warped just as he activated his Shikai, to somehow blend in the energy of the Shunko into his zanpakuto attack, dramatically increasing its force to a proportion that should not have been capable for his body. Its very essence was even off; it didn't feel quite like a shinigami should, something that he had observed within Kyoraku's Reiryoku.

However, as amazing as this was, it paled in comparison to what had happened before the battle, what had truly gotten Mayuri's attention. For a split second, the Hikari boy had vanished from existence, a null in the system that lasted for less than a micro second. He had then instantly reappeared within the Human Realm; the boy had somehow jumped between dimensions in a way he had never seen before, removing his existence from one and replacing it on another. He had also discovered from eye witness accounts and reiatsu recordings from the Senkaimon terminal that the Hikari boy had somehow opened a new portal by interacting with the Senkaimon, coloured gold instead of the usual blue. While he had no records of the portal within the Human Realm, he would do anything to study this phenomenon again. As such, he had placed an alarm upon his signals that would indicate if he repeated the movement again.

However, he screamed in frustration at the screen, slamming his hands on the keys as he realised he was wasting his time; the boy was simply using an unauthorized Senkaimon to break his house arrest. He was about to erase the files before he realised something, there was a second presence moving through the inter dimension boundary alongside him. "Oh, so the Hornet Captain has decided to help him break his arrest? How trivial…"-Mayuri spoke quietly to himself, as on a whim he opened the pages that lead to Yoshirou's life sign data, fed to the computer via the bacteria he had tricked him into placing in his body. As he read the data on the screen, his smile widened eerily at the sight. "Increased cardiac cycles, higher levels of Dopamine and Serotonin present in the blood, slowly increasing Testosterone levels, *kyehehehee* (5)!"-Mayuri laughed crazily as he realised what it was he looked at. "Ah, this is perfect! Another opportunity for study! It seems he's finally becoming aware of his situation with the woman, perfect! If this is continued, in the long term I will be able to see how the decadence interaction for the inheritance of the Light Zanpakuto goes, I may even find a way to extract the process to gain the weapon for myself! Even better, as members of the opposing bloodlines, who knows what might happen in the union of their bloodlines!"

Mayuri continued to laugh crazily as Nemu stared at the screen. She was both disturbed and pleased by the result, she didn't like how it sounded like it would go, but she hadn't seen her father this joyous in her short lifetime. However, she noticed something on the screen as well, before saying-"My apologies Mayuri-sama, but there is a secondary alarm attached to this file." Mayuri stopped his jubilations as he spun about, shouting-"WHAT! GET OUT OF MY WAY!" in anger at this nuisance, roughly pushing Nemu away so he could work clearly. Tapping his keys once again, he found the secondary alarm, a general alarm of high urgency, re routed towards the workstations of the Captains within Soul Society. "Tch!"-Mayuri hissed as he rapidly went into the system programming, erasing the alarm and all catalogued data regarding the event from the system except for his own computer. Sighing frustrated, he murmured-"There's nothing I can do if a Captain got the message before I eliminated it, if I want my data, I have to let the course between them play out, if it was discovered by other Captains, it would be stopped straight away." Chewing his nail, he continued plotting-"It will be next to impossible to try and speed up the process, the boy is too wary, it would only cause the process to slow if he caught any wind of a deception, but…." Nemu just stood there, listening to her father plot away as she thought what it meant to love another person, an emotion she had never tried to discover.

* * *

**Well, chapter over, urgh I don't fancy writing a date chapter, its probably going to go horribly wrong on me, bear with me if I do screw it up, there probably wont be a repeat of it, got lots of action coming up. Also, just for humours sake, after the Bankai is obtained, i'm going to do some Omake bits like the Shinigami Golden Cup to pass some of the time (Got a good idea involving a mix up which causes Yoshirou having to try and escape Kenpachi.) I still have exactly seven weeks of events to do until the Winter War begins, since Kurosaki's Vizard training went for two months until the next incursion when Inoue was taken from them. Hopefully it wont seem like rubbish, but for the most parts its just going to be training, omake and other fun. **

**Anyhow, next chapter should (hopefully) be an interesting date chapter, if you don't feel like reading a date, then feel free to skip to the chapter after that. Seeya there!**

**(1) FYI, My character places quite a lot of importance in old keepsakes that he gets, hence why he's sore to loose his first Haori, his old training clothes, and even the old spell construct Byakuya gave him (which co-incidentally saved his ass from Aizen, giving reinforcements enough time to catch the bugger)**

**(2) This is a rather more commonly used set of martial arts clothing used nowadays. While not commonly seen in Japan, it's far more common in western countries where Japanese martial arts are taught. Zubon are alike to loose fitting trousers, except very light, while Uwagi are those martial arts tops that are used.**

**(3) For the unable to count, this makes him roughly six to seven times stronger than any 3rd seat at full power with just his normal reiatsu, since he's still above a 3rd seat's full power at 20%, this might be a bad estimate, but seeing as how SS arc Chad kicked Kyoraku's 3rd seat's ass with one blow, I think it's fair enough to assume the average 3rd seat is not impressive, except Ikkaku and Yoshirou pre-Captain rank.**

**(4) Just look at her uniform from the Turn Back the Pendulum series, that's the one I meant.**

**(5) Insert reeeeeaally creepy laugh here**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone, back from the hols, and that means Hiatus ends! Anyhow, i'm sorry the hiatus was longer than anticipated, lots of things unexpected happened. My hol was extended further so I could visit my Grandma, she's gettin very ill recently, stroke's and DVT, nasty stuff. Still, she's tougher than old leather, I doubt thats gonna get her down, then i had to go prepare for a surprise wedding! My mams best mate wanted us to go to it, so I got hiked up to a place called Gretney Green, to a rather strange wedding which involved an anvil being used rather than an altar 0.0. Then things took a turn for the worse, one of my great Aunts passed away. Barely knew the woman tbh, but my dad's in sever mourning over it and it's dragging down the atmosphere of the house... then came results day, that was HORRIBLE, 1 B, 2 C's and 1 D when I had been hoping for 4 B's**

**Still can't have many whines over results, cause I got my place in Uni even with those horrible results! So i'm back to writing now, although this chapter was a horrible one, might as well have been dragging nails over chalk boards for how easy it was to put up with trying to get this done, still hopefully it's good, when I finish this little bit, the quality should return to a better standard, this sounds tilted because I have no idea what I am doing with this.**

**Well, this is the rest of the excerpt, short but better than nothing (I hope), read on!**

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* * *

****That was the longest five minutes of my life…** Yoshirou thought as they finally exited the portal, landing in the human realm. During the walk through the intermittent realm, he was literally trapped in an individual world with Soi Fon until they got out. During that time, he couldn't help constantly glancing at the Captain, his head full of distracting thoughts varying from noticing the soft curve of her neck to wondering what it would be like to hold her hand. He was lucky that any time his thoughts started to take a different turn, Taiyou promptly burst in with another mental comment, stopping his train of thought from revealing himself. Even as it was, he was quite surprised he had kept his composure throughout the entire walk, as well as half shocked that his own thoughts could get that immature, being a person who had lived for two hundred years.

_Don't forget although our ages are different, our anatomies match humans, your still the mental age of a human whose not even reached twenty, although strange as they are, I doubt your thoughts are any different from a shinigami the same age._

**Oh well, I'll ask Unohana about it another time** Yoshirou thought as he stretched his arms again, trying to once again distract himself from staring at the petite captain. He was surprised that Soi Fon had been extremely quiet throughout the transition; she hadn't spoken a word, her posture strangely tense as far as he could tell. He was still just as confused as to why they were even here, she said he was an escort, but he had no idea why, his head made up a hundred different scenarios, including a few that he wouldn't have considered before today, but he still couldn't be sure.

Looking about, he found that they had exited somewhere near a bridge, beside a river area. The area struck him as oddly similar to whatever place Kurosaki had decided to go to when he returned to the human realm from Soul Society, an embankment along the river edge. Before his eyes, he watched as the Hell Butterfly who had guided him retreated back into the portal, flying lazily alongside its partner butterfly as their guides retreated back to Soul Society. As the doors slid closed with a wooden sound, the portal disappearing, Soi Fon sighed to herself, her eyes shut as she concentrated on something.

As Yoshirou watched, she flicked a strand of her longer hair back behind her head again, before opening her eyes and turning to him. "Well, now we are here, you might as well know there was no mission."-Soi Fon said as she glanced away, for some reason unable to look him in the face. Well I knew that from the start Yoshirou thought as he sighed, scratching his head slightly. "So, what business do you have in the Human Realm."-Yoshirou asked, slightly surprised as he saw her suddenly look sharply at him in annoyance. "It's not business, I brought you here for a different reason fool!"- Soi Fon snapped back at him, before suddenly stopping, shaking her head in annoyance again.

She breathed in deeply, before saying-"I wanted to apologise for how I acted earlier, so I invited you to come with me here today, that's all…" Yoshirou was slightly amused as how she passed off her ordering him to escort her as an invitation, but didn't comment, instead smiling as he decided to test the waters, find out whether his growing suspicion as to his purpose here might be correct or not. Yoshirou said-"You didn't really need to bring me along to the Human Realm, I would have been fine going about Soul Society with you…" watching her reactions as he said so. He was completely taken by surprise by both the lack on an insult to contradict what he said and the slight growing flush on her face. "…well I would have preferred not to be in Soul Society, far too many people comment every time I'm seen with you."-Soi Fon replied gradually, before suddenly walking away, shouting back-"Hurry up or I'm just going to leave you behind."

Yoshirou stood there for a second, stunned by her words before coming to his senses, catching up with the fast disappearing Captain. **What the hell does that mean then? Would this count as some sort of date?**

_*Sigh* when you go to talk about Unohana, ask her for me is it possible for a person to be a tactical genius and a completely ignorant idiot at the same time._

(P.O.V change)

Yoruichi stretched her arms lazily as she walked through the Urahara store. It had been a boring few days in the company of the Sou Taichou, going over plans for some mass barrier arrangement they were planning for in the upcoming battle. It was all rather boring for her since she had absolutely no mention of a part in the process. As such, Urahara had suggested that she look after the Urahara store while they were continuing their plans, and she had been more than happy to comply. Now the problem was that there was very little to do, other than to eat, sleep and make sure the kids did their work about the store, Tessai and Urahara had remained with Yamamoto and the specialist task force he had arranged to scout the area for suitable markers for the mass arrangement they were planning, and so she had nobody to *play* with. The Vizards had as good as kidnapped one of her play toys, while the other was no doubt kept under lock and key for breaking rules again.

She contemplated perhaps trying to contact her estranged pupil again; the last time they had met over a week ago she had acted particularly curiously, asking some very strange and suspicious questions. Yoruichi felt slightly left out, in the past Soi Fon had doted entirely on her, but now it seemed she was too distracted by her new status as a teacher to think of Yoruichi. She was still happy and polite with her, but it seemed her mind focused not on Yoruichi, but on her new focus, the loss of complete attention and affection from the girl affected Yoruichi more than she had anticipated, she felt rather alone now she had lost her cute bodyguard. **Oh well, you can't leave for a hundred years and expect everything to return to the way it was** Yoruichi mused as she sat down on a cushion. S**he moved on, that's something to be glad of, I was afraid she would remain completely fixated with me, but it seemed he provided some kind of release for her. Still, it was weird that she came to me for that kind of advice…**

As Yoruichi pondered just what Soi Fon had been planning, her thoughts were disrupted by the appearance of two massive reiatsu, appearing from nowhere in front of the Urahara store. Yoruichi immediately went on full alert, her mind ringing bells that nobody should be coming from Soul Society, this had to be something from Hueco Mundo coming to call. "Couldn't have picked a worse time"-Yoruichi hissed quietly to herself as she jumped up from the cushion she was sitting on. With Urahara and Tessai away, the store was literally defenceless against any major attack, and since there were two sources, fighting them alone would be difficult. Outside, the two children seemed to sense the disturbance, moving defiantly to stop the opponents. **Bad idea, whoever it is is too strong for you!** Yoruichi thought as she leapt out of the room, running along the corridor hoping to get out before whoever it was did anything. Clearing the corridor, a single shunpo step found her outside, facing the two intruders.

Jinta had already been defeated in a slightly humorous way, his bat deposited elsewhere as he hung in mid air, struggling to break the grip of the first foe on the back of his shirt. Ururu seemed to have changed her mind, looking curiously at the new opponents, her brush still held in her hands from sweeping the yard. As Yoruichi appraised her foes, she suddenly stopped, looking in surprise at the black robes underneath the white cloaks that represented the elite of Soul Society, a Captain. The one who had grabbed Jinta's shirt smiled as he saw her, raising his other hand in greeting as he said-"Long time no see, Yoruichi-san!" Yoruichi still looked in shock at the two Captains, before blurting out-"What on earth are you two doing here?"

(P.O.V change) (10 minutes later)

Although Soi Fon had taken the lead initially, striding into the town at a fast pace, making Yoshirou think that she had some kind of plan that he was going to have to follow, it soon came clear that she had either forgotten it, or lost confidence in it. She had slowed her pace to a more reasonable one, her head ducked down as she tried to think of something. Yoshirou had been forced to silently follow her, since he had no idea what the Captain had planned. He had been on a few dates himself, during his academy years, his looks and skills had earned him much interest with the female students, but nearly all of them had ended badly, since Yoshirou had often just gone along with it not to insult the girl who had asked him out, when it came to the end he often had trouble with trying to explain that he wasn't actually interested. He knew all the general things you could do on a date, however he had neither experienced a date in the Human Realm, or one where he was actually interested in the girl, he was facing a lot of hurdles to overcome.

Not only did he have to be careful with Soi Fon, due to her nature, but there would be a limit to what they could do. Being in the Human Realm meant nobody could actually see you, or interact with you. He could practically walk through a human like one of their fabled ghosts, since his spiritual makeup differed from the physical make up of a normal human. As such, restaurants were out of the question, or anything to do with food. Also, what would usually interest Soi Fon, sports, was also out, if a single human saw them, it would be a panic about possessed sports equipment, since while they weren't visible, what they interacted with was. It seemed from how Soi Fon was acting, he wasn't the only one plagued with such thoughts, she seemed to not have a clue about what to do.

As she continued to think, Yoshirou decided to chance an arm. Raising his arms behind his head, he asked-"So…there anything you want to do?" Soi Fon glanced up at him, clearly irritated or frustrated by something, before looking back down, snapping-"I already know what to do, I don't need you asking me!" Yoshirou rolled his eyes while she was looking down, half expecting this kind of stubborn answer. If there was something Soi Fon disliked, it was having anything chosen for her. Glancing about the place as they continued to walk, he tried to draw any inspiration from nearby. Across the street, a man in a strange mascot costume was trying to give a balloon to a young child, nearby store's showed goods in the windows to attract buyers, the streets were relatively empty of crowds, the store beside them seemed to play one of those new music tracks that had started to become popular in this decade, and only a couple of humans walking along their daily business. There were no clues whatsoever as to what they could do.

However, he found an idea oddly posted on one of the public bins across the streets, a like poster also seen on a nearby bus stop depicting a man in a strange suit holding one of the bizarre weapons that humans seemed to use to make up for their lack of any spiritual abilities. **A production poster? Maybe there's one of those theatres in Karakura town?** Yoshirou mused as he slowed to a stop, reading the bottom of the poster, his eyes able to pick up minute details across distances humans would have trouble with. **…coming to a…cinema near you? What the hell's a cinema?**

Soi Fon seemed to notice his abrupt halt, turning back irritably towards him. However, she stopped as she saw he was looking in another direction. Following his gaze, the words on the poster she saw caught her eye, unlike Yoshirou she actually knew what a cinema was, after her obese Vice Captain had somehow managed to buy rights to build one in his own estate. As far as she had seen when he had offered for her to see it, it seemed to be a building that used newer technology from the real world to make movies which depicted humans playing out stories using technology to make it seem like they had abilities. A load of crap as far as she had seen, with no believable parts to it, but the poster gave her an idea after seeing Yoshirou's curiosity in the picture.

Smirking to herself as she turned back to the path, Soi Fon called back over her shoulder-"Stop lagging or I'll just leave you behind!" Yoshirou's head turned back to the Captain, having picked up from her voice that she must have had some idea, since her voice had lost the irritable tone. Curious as to what she had suddenly come up with, Yoshirou obliged by stepping up his pace until he was following the Captain.

(10 minutes later)

Oh that is one strange building… Yoshirou thought as he looked up. Across the top of the entryway there were flashing signs depicting different absurd titles **Otōto…****Desu Nōto…Kurosagi….****Nichiyobi wa Owaranai… what the heck do those mean? (1) **Among the names was another name he had seen earlier, Cinema. It seemed this building was the location Soi Fon had been heading to as she started towards the building. Catching up with her again, Yoshirou asked-"…what exactly is this?" Soi Fon sighed irritably as she responded-"Do you have some strange need to question everything? Just shut up and follow me." Yoshirou chuckled quietly to himself as the Captain walked ahead, her posture showing that she had once again taken the lead rather than being indecisive. Stubborn as hell, well I suppose I just have to follow her Yoshirou thought as he walked behind her, absently struck once again by just how his frame dwarfed hers. However, before he could dwell further, his ears were assaulted by various noises inside the building, conflicting with another. Curious, he walked past the strange booth where a rather obese man was idly chewing on some gum and into the building proper.

He whistled appreciatively as he looked about the massive hall. It seemed the building was made to encompass massive amounts of people at one time, wide hallways which crowds could pass through easily, not that this was a problem at the time, being still school time the town's active population had been halved, so very few people were about. Before him a screen was flashing those strange adverts he had seen over and over, although judging from the lack of watchers, this was not what he was being taken to see. Beside him, Soi Fon seemed to be looking for something else, her head turning as she tried to find whatever she was looking for. Strangely, a young girl seemed to be pulling on her parent's sleeves, pointing in their direction. **Another one? Just how many of these towns inhabitants can see Shinigami?** Yoshirou wondered as the apparent father seemed to laugh, playing along with whatever the girl had said before walking off, lightly tugging the girl's hand to make her follow. After another wide eyed stare at Yoshirou, the girl relented, following her father into whatever room the massive doors leaded to.

Turning about, he noticed that Soi Fon seemed to be reading some strange bulletin on a wall nearby. Yoshirou walked over to have a look himself, noticing several of the strange names he had seen earlier were noted, along with several numbers that he took to be times. **Maybe this is some kind of theatre like I thought?** Yoshirou wondered as Soi Fon continued to look at the names. She suddenly clicked her fingers as if to get his attention, before saying-"Desu Nōto or Ototo? There the only two on right now." Yoshirou didn't quite grasp what the question was; yet again Soi Fon had failed to check whether he actually understood what she had said. However, if this was some kind of theatre, he didn't like the idea of seeing a play called Ototo, sounded too much like it would be a drama. However, he also realized that it could be that Soi Fon had wanted to see the other one, so he shrugged in reply, saying-"Either sounds fine to me."

This just got her rolling her eyes again as she remembered he couldn't possibly understand what the two names meant. In all honesty, she didn't either, so she picked randomly. Yoshirou looked on slightly confused as Soi Fon walked away once again towards a new set of doors. Looking above the doors, he saw a strange electrical sign saying *SCREEN 6* with a smaller title saying *Desu Nōto *. Following curiously, carefully avoiding walking into the humans who couldn't see him, he followed Soi Fon inside to another massive room, an entire wall taken up by a strange screen, depicting some kind of motorised vehicle driving across land. The room was filled with random noises from the humans sitting inside on the strange seats; strange crackling sounds from packets being played with and beeps from small handheld machines being played with. As he looked about, he noticed that Soi Fon had seemingly stumbled on some kind of step, cursing under her breath.

"What's wrong?"-Yoshirou asked as Soi Fon stood back straight, obviously irritated by the trip. "What else? I can't see anything but the screen!"-Soi Fon replied frustrated. Yoshirou glanced about, unsure by what she meant, the room was filled with enough light to see easily, although he quickly realised the problem was. Remembering one of the side effects that he had learnt years ago when he had first awoken his zanpakuto, he remembered that his eyes could adjust perfectly to see even in pitch black darkness due to Taiyou amplifying the ambient light in his perception. Remembering it meant that while he thought the light was fine to see by, didn't mean it wasn't for others.

Sighing, he thrust a palm out, gathering a minimal fraction of his reiatsu. Immediately the room filled with light, making Soi Fon jump in surprise. Whipping about, she exclaimed-"What are you doing!" Yoshirou shrugged as he said-"Making some light, don't worry humans can't perceive the light, nobody else will notice." Soi Fon's eyes widened slightly as she glanced at his hand, realising that the light filling the room was emitting from his palm. Nodding slightly, muttering something that Yoshirou guessed was a "thank you", Soi Fon turned back as her eyes scanned the seats about them. Yoshirou did the same, quickly realising that he was mistaken as to how many people were inside the building. It seemed every seat was taken by various different humans, small families, kids skipping school, old people, and even a few foreigners judging from the different language tattoos on the arm of a nearby man. It seemed like there wasn't going to be any seats until a pair of men at the front seemed to tire from watching the strange screen, which was now showing a rather gaudily dressed man screaming some weird mantra (Spirits are always with you!).

Soi Fon noticed the pair leaving, and pointed the seats out to Yoshirou, rather unnecessary seeming as how he had noticed their movements before her. As the men in question walked by them, the distracted pair missed the remarkably shinigami like signature the two individuals reiatsu let out, along with the wide smile on the face of the bald man as he glanced at Yoshirou and Soi Fon, chuckling quietly as he led his feathered companion away, who was also watching them curiously, considering whether the couple he saw would be considered *beautiful* or not (2). This escaped the two Captains notice as they walked to the aisle seat that had been left. As they sat, Yoshirou guessed that this situation was alike to a theatre, but was based about watching an animated performance on the screen instead. As he looked at the screen, he saw the same strange man prancing about, apparently advertising for a famous Television Show, although judging from what he was saying, he was some kind of spiritualist quack, something that drew a small smile on his face as he considered how foolish humans like that just made his task that little bit more difficult.

Soi Fon seemed to recognise the strange man though, as she said-"I think that man has been causing problems in the Human Realm recently, he has some tiny spiritual power, but just keep making things more difficult." Yoshirou laughed as he said-"Well hopefully we won't meet him, I don't fancy being chased by that man screaming *Bad Spirits!*, be a tad annoying." That seemed to elicit a tiny smile from the Captain, but it disappeared as the room suddenly became quieter.

For the next two hours, Yoshirou had a rather amusing experience in the show they watched. At first, he became rather bored of the whole thing, until he heard the using of the term Shinigami, and couldn't help but burst out laughing when the strange apparition they called a Shinigami was shown. It seemed humans had a rather vivid imagination in regards to what Shinigami were; this film depicted them as the beings which controlled the deaths of all humans, and right strange monsters at that. In reality, they were the shepherds of death. Humans brought death upon themselves, the Shinigami merely kept the balance, guiding souls onto their next path in life, cleansing those that had fallen from grace and become hollows, and punishing those who were irredeemable in their actions in their life. In his time as a Shinigami, he had done all of those, guiding the lost souls of humans, cleansing the souls of those who had fallen prey to the hollow and become hollows themselves, and sending the evilest of them, those alike the monster Creedo, down to the depths of hell itself. Also shinigami were every bit the same as humans, just more powerful and longer living.

The show as a whole had been slightly interesting, but he kept finding himself watching Soi Fon's reaction to the show rather than focusing on the screen. At first she had seemed bored, but she had also perked up at hearing the shinigami term, although she pulled a weird face upon seeing the creature the first time, which had probably caused half of the laughing that he went through. Halfway through the movie, Yoshirou had been surprised to find she had, either by accident or deliberately, put her hand on his, although after he had glanced at her, it seemed by accident since she was raptly watching the screen. He was once again struck by how smooth her hand was; at ends with her rigorous martial arts training she had pushed herself through over the years. Regardless of deliberate or not, this action had once again started his thoughts going about the whole situation he was in, breaking his orders to remain in Soul Society in order to go out with a fellow Captain, a story that would have sounded rather cliché had he not been in the middle of it. He wasn't regretting doing so, but he just found it strange to be in this situation.

At the end, as everybody started filing out, Soi Fon turned to say something, but then suddenly seemed to realise the fact that her hand was lying on his. She quickly pulled it away in embarrassment, her face burning red, leaving Yoshirou half disappointed that it had been an accident, and half glad that he had seen her expression like that. "W-Well what did you think of it then?"-Soi Fon quickly asked, trying to cover up her embarrassment awkwardly. Yoshirou smiled slightly as he answered-"Yeah, it was pretty good, not the kind of thing I've seen before…" He was now unsure as to what else to say, but the sudden cramp from his stomach, followed by the stomach growling that made him even more embarrassed than Soi Fon was filled the gap in conversation. Putting a hand awkwardly on his torso as he laughed quietly in shame, Yoshirou realised that he hadn't eaten all day, he had been planning to get something when the message from Soi Fon initially came that morning, and the fight with the Captain had worn him out further. Soi Fon sighed beside him, internally relieved that something had come up to take the attention away from what she had unwittingly done.

Quickly standing up, stretching to relieve the tension that sitting for so long had induced, she looked down at Yoshirou, saying-"Well that says what we should be doing next then, although you could have just said you were hungry instead of making that loud an announcement." Yoshirou looked back up, finding a small amount of humour in how she was taking advantage of this moment to look down at him, before puling himself out of his seat, once again dwarfing the Captain. He was instantly struck by cramp as he realised the effects of sitting too long. Soi Fon smirked slightly as he grimaced in annoyance at his own body, stretching his arms the same as she had. Having managed to work the tiredness from his limbs, Yoshirou said-"Well, how are we supposed to get a meal about here?" Soi Fon paused in surprise, obviously having not thought her new idea through properly. Another silence started as the list of humans who had been in the show scrolled down the viewing screen opposite the two of them, Soi Fon trying to think of an idea.

Yoshirou started to think back to a conversation he had remembered having a week ago, when he had been training at the Hospital with Unohana. During one of his breaks, he had bumped into Hanatarou, who among the many things they had talked about, mentioned that in some mix up he had managed to get a job within the human realm as a store clerk. (3) While it would be a long shot to hope that Hanatarou had returned to the real world and would be there, Yoshirou closed his eyes as he threw out his senses, hoping to find the familiar ebb from the reiatsu of the medic. He was half surprised to find it quite close by, the reiatsu paired with a second recognisable one within a building nearby. Opening his eyes, he realised Soi Fon was watching him, an eyebrow raised quizzically at what he was doing. Smiling, Yoshirou said-"I think I know a place where we can get something, it's quite close by too."

(10 minutes later)

As they arrived, the sky starting to get dark as the evening came on, Yoshirou saw the store Hanatarou had talked about, seemingly more a gas station store than a convenience store like the boy had said. As Yoshirou looked in the store, he was glad to find he was right; standing behind the counter was a pair of recognisable figures in Gigai, serving a man inside the store. Turning to Soi Fon, he asked-"Is there anything you want in particular from in there?" Soi Fon thought for a second, before replying-"Not particularly, just don't pick anything bad." **And how am I supposed to know what you consider bad?** Yoshirou complained internally as he walked into the store. As he did so, the human in question left, and he overheard Ganju saying-"Man, not many people in today, musta been a slow day." Yoshirou ignored the words as he looked over the food aisles, not sure what to choose. In the background, Hanatarou replied-"Well the less people there are, the less chance we will be rushed off our feet again Ganju-san, that was terrible yesterday!" Yoshirou quickly located something interesting, choosing some strange packed sandwich for himself, but unsure what to get for Soi Fon, settled upon a box of sushi.

Now to hope their feeling generous Yoshirou thought as he walked over to the counter where Ganju was continuing his complaining. Hanatarou noticed him first, but didn't recognise him immediately, putting on a strange smile as he said-"G-Good evening, how can I be of service?" However, the smile turned to a look of surprise as it dawned on him who he was looking at. "Yoshirou-san, h-how come you're here?"-Hanatarou exclaimed, catching Ganju's attention at the same time, who made a strange noise that sounded somewhere between a squeak and a growl in surprise of seeing the shinigami. Yoshirou replied-"Just getting something to eat hopefully, but I kinda forgot to bring anything, so do you guys mind me just taking these and bringing some money another time?" Hanatarou seemed to consider this, but Ganju instantly replied-"No freakin way, I ain't giving a Shinigami anything for free!" Yoshirou couldn't help but get pissed off at the way Ganju said that, saying-"That's cheap, considering how many times I saved your ass for free." Ganju sneered in reply, saying arrogantly-"You callin' me weaker than a shinigami? Wanna take this outside?"

Before it could go any further, Hanatarou broke the argument up, desperately saying-"G-Ganju-san, he could easily destroy the whole store in an instant, don't start a f-fight for no reason, please!" Ganju looked like he was about to reply, but taking another look at Yoshirou, just went _Tch! _before looking away, obviously annoyed that he had lost the bravado match between them. Sighing with relief, Hanatarou said-"You can have those, Yoshirou-san, I think there's so many things in this store one missing item or two won't go astray, so please enjoy your meal!" Yoshirou smiled with relief as he said-"Thanks, I owe you one Hanatarou!" Ganju and Hanatarou watched as he left in a rush, the door automaticly closing behind him. Growling in annoyance, Ganju said-"Why in hell did ya give in so easy? You need a spine replaced kid." Hanatarou shook his head, saying-"No, he looked like he needed them, and anyway, _okyaku-sama wa kami-sama_, right Ganju-san?" Ganju gave Hanatarou a disbelieving look at the horrible pun, before lightly bringing his fist down on the top of his head in reply, leaving Hanatarou with a rather sore patch on his head. (4)

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**Chapter over, tbh this is probably only half a chapter, unless I get lazy and skip the second half. Hopefully quality will improve soon, so please keep reading even if this doesn't sound like as good as it should be, it should pick up again soon!**

**(1) This is a list of real Japanese movies that have come out since 2000, the more sharp out of you will be thinking Desu Noto sounds rather familiar, well it should, it's the Romanji direct translation for Death Note lol.**

**(2) If you don't recognise this pair, you need to read Bleach again from the very start!**

**(3) Yes, I know that was filler, but give me a break, this chapter has been hell to write, I needed something to do!**

**(4) The pun is that this term is used as a ways to say something alike the western term "The customer is always right". However, it actually means "The customer is a god", a horrible pun on Yoshirou being a shinigami, a "Death God" so to say (shoot me now, since I came up with that horrible pun all on my own roflmao)**


	15. Chapter 15

Heyo guys...i'm having big trouble with my story now

**You guys may have noticed, but my writing quality has kinda degraded over time, i'm kinda losing the inspiration to keep this up and it's getting more and more difficult to type the next chapter. I'm just warning that I might drop the story soon, real life is trying it's best to drag me away from my pastime, and my minds been far too busy to keep this up. Going to continue as long as I can, but expect times between posts to increase, sorry**

**Anyway, next chapter up, it sucks because I have no clue what i'm doing exactly but oh well, read on.**

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Yoshirou smiled to himself as he left the store, thinking it strange that he would be spending a day like this. He had never expected to be going out with a captain, or enjoying it as he had. So far it had been quite awkward, since both he and Soi Fon were not sure as to what to do, but he had found having this time free with her was enjoyable in itself, definitely better than spending his time training. Stepping outside he quickly spotted the Captain, waiting out of sight of the door to avoid notice of the people inside. She seemed to be watching the sun set rather than waiting for him though, the sun slowly going over the building edges nearby. An idea occurred to Yoshirou as he saw the sun disappear finally, the buildings now fully covering the sight. Soi Fon seemed to finally notice his presence, saying-"Took your time didn't you?" Yoshirou shrugged as he replied-"Well, I managed to get the food anyway."

Soi Fon nodded as Yoshirou passed over the box with the Sushi label on it. Soi Fon twisted the package in her hand, unsure about what exactly to do with it. Yoshirou laughed at her hesitation as he mimed peeling the wrapper off, nearly receiving a blow from the embarrassed captain in return. "...that's...sushi?"-Soi Fon said hesitantly as she looked at the contents of her tray, Yoshirou having finished unwrapping his too. Taking a peek himself, he was slightly taken aback by the food item as well. "Makizushi, that's a bit badly labelled, even by human standards.(1)"-Yoshirou noted, taking a bite from his own sandwich, pulling a strange face at the unnatural taste from the food and mentally noting to not eat human processed food again. Soi Fon still seemed mystified by it, gingerly picking one roll up before trying it herself. Just as Yoshirou had before her, she pulled a face at the food, before consequently throwing the package across the road, in an amazing feat of accuracy as it landed in a trash can.

"That was not Sushi."-Soi Fon stated, rather annoyed by the plastic taste left from the food. Yoshirou shrugged as he repeated her performance, lobbing his box into the bin as well. "Humans have some strange need to put junk in food, why in hell they don't cook it fresh is beyond me."-Yoshirou explained, straightening his slightly crumpled robes again. Soi Fon nodded as if she understood what he had said, but Yoshirou guessed she didn't understand at all. Once again glancing at where the sun had vanished beyond the buildings, Yoshirou asked-"Do you want to see something interesting?" Soi Fon looked at him suspiciously, but sighing said-"All right then." Yoshirou smiled before suddenly vanishing, making Soi Fon jump in surprise as she suddenly lost all sight, a hand covering her view. Yoshirou grabbed her shoulder lightly, making one massive flash step towards his intended location.

Yoshirou was relieved that he managed it in a single step, he wasn't good at memorising distances but he wasn't sure whether he would manage it in a single step. Releasing his grip on her shoulder, he stepped away, waiting for her to see where he had brought her. What he didn't anticipate was a backhand in the face, knocking him back a bit. "F-FOOL! What on earth were you thinking?"-Soi Fon exclaimed, nearly losing her balance as she tried to remain standing, her arms swinging as she tried to get her balance back. Yoshirou rubbed the mark where he was hit as he wondered what the problem was here. As Soi Fon seemed to approximately get her bearings, still swaying slightly on the spot, she said in an annoyed tone-"Not only could I not see, you stepped far too far for me!" Yoshirou exclaimed in surprise at hearing this, saying-"I thought your shunpo surpassed mine." Soi Fon glanced up aggravated at him, saying-"I'm faster, but I don't have enough reiatsu to go that far in one step, you should have remembered that!"

Yoshirou thought about it, before shrugging, saying-"I'll remember that next time, anyway just look about!" Soi Fon shot him another glare at his uncaring, almost excited tone, before doing as he suggested. Yoshirou smiled as he saw her face change, knowing that the place he had picked was a good one. While most of the world had been taken over by human industrialisation, there was still the odd spot where nature was given a chance to grow naturally, this area being one that had struck him as a rather nice place years ago. The meadow they were standing in was clear of all sights of the town, the forests surrounding what he knew to be Karakura Park blocking all sight of the town beyond. However, there were plenty of places alike this around for miles, but what had been unique about this meadow was the main plant that was growing all around the pair. As Yoshirou watched, Soi Fon kneeled down and picked one, noticing the distinctive colouring as she murmured-"Lavender?" (2) Yoshirou looked all about the purple meadow, quiet as the evening drew on with a distinctive fragrance filling the air.

Yoshirou smiled as he said-"How's that for a sunset?" Soi Fon, hearing his words stood up at looked where he was pointing, and took a sharp breath in surprise. The sun was still barely showing above the distant hills, painting the sky red with its glow, a sharp contrast to the lavender that dotted the meadow they were in. Just like Yoshirou thought, she was entranced by the sight, watching quietly in awe as the sun continued to set. As the sun disappeared, she was surprised by a loud thump noise as Yoshirou literally fell backwards onto the soft grass, knocking up a storm of purple petals and pollen from the ground. Staring up at the sky, Yoshirou said-"Y'know, I never really thought you would be the type to watch sunset's like that, since your always so active." Yoshirou saw her smile again as she said-"I'm only busy because I make sure everything is always done right myself, unlike you who seems to leave everything to the subordinates." Yoshirou laughed as Soi Fon sat down nearby, saying-"If I tried to do anything in my squad, everything would ground to a halt. I think my subordinates are more grateful that I don't do it than if I tried."

Soi Fon nodded slightly as she looked about, the shadows starting to spread everywhere from the hills. "It's getting dark, we should head back to Soul Society"-Soi Fon noted as she made to get up. However, Yoshirou laughed as he pulled on a tiny bit of his reiatsu, the entire area filling with light from his powers. "I can just create light if it does get dark."-Yoshirou said, before stopping his reiatsu, saying-"but when the light does go, you can see some interesting things too." Soi Fon glanced curiously at him lying back in the grass, before getting the gist of what he was saying. Following suit, she lied down to, before exclaiming at the sight. "Beats the view that you can see in Soul Society."-Yoshirou noted as he gazed up at the sky as well, the stars starting to become visible as the sky dimmed. Soi Fon said-"I never noticed that the stars were any different…"

However, the quiet moment was ruined by the simple realisation it was getting incredibly cold, which both Captains noticed at the same time. Sighing to himself, Yoshirou sat up, but stopped getting up when Soi Fon said-"What did you think of this time together?" Yoshirou paused, unsure of what to say, before awkwardly saying-"I enjoyed it, it was fun spending time here with you." Soi Fon kept quite, before asking something Yoshirou wouldn't have expected.

"Did you think once about the upcoming war while you were here?"

Yoshirou stopped, completely taken aback by the question. Of all the things Soi Fon could have said to catch him out, this was the one thing he hadn't expected. He felt that the mood had been slightly lowered, but he answered anyway, saying-"No, I suppose not…" Soi Fon nodded beside him, saying-"Doesn't that show its better not to think on it? You kept on focusing too much on how you have to become strong enough to defeat Aizen, and because of it you kept on thinking about how you're weaker than him. No wonder your zanpakuto won't respond, did it ever ask you what you wanted of it?" Yoshirou thought back to his fights with the being the represented his trial. He then realised the clone had always said something.

_Why do you seek your Bankai?_

"Why do you seek your Bankai?"-Yoshirou murmured quietly. Soi Fon asked-"And your answer?" Yoshirou thought about it before shrugging, saying-"I need it to defeat Aizen; I'm not strong enough without it." Soi Fon turned away, looking up at the sky once again, before saying-"Is that what you think?" Yoshirou looked over at her puzzled, noting off hand that the wind was causing her untied hair to blow out around her face.

"I don't think you're that weak."

Yoshirou's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the response. Soi Fon continued as she said-"You faced your first defeat when you fought him, that's true, but in all honesty I think that you probably have the greatest chance of defeating him out of the Captains of the Gotei 13. Your stronger than he is, you just have to believe in your strength. You saw your fight as a complete defeat, but when I read the reports from what the Ryoka had seen, you were the only one capable of defeating his ability, you even proved the stronger in some way's. Had it not been for that one mistake, I doubt Aizen could have won. Aizen's power lies in his deception; he instilled that fear in you atop Soukyoku hill that you couldn't defeat him." Yoshirou continued to stare at her in surprise, having never expected such words from the taciturn woman.

Turning her face back towards him, a slight smile on her features, enhanced by the moonlight, she said-"I'm not the only one who believes in you, everybody is waiting for you to gain your strength back. When we fought earlier, you were weaker than I have ever seen you, even that first day when we first fought, when I beat you into unconsciousness…" Yoshirou winced slightly at the reminder, before Soi Fon continued-"…you still had a smile on your face, and came back the next for more, just remember what it was like to be that carefree, your real nature. Cast away your fixation on Aizen and perhaps you can become strong again. Don't become strong just to defeat him…"

Soi Fon sighed again as she continued, saying-"Do you remember why you wanted to become strong?" Yoshirou thought back to their first meeting, when Soi Fon had initially agreed to train him. She had asked him a question very much alike it. "So I can protect those I care for…"-Yoshirou repeated, his memories vivid as he remembered the surprise that had flashed upon her face that day. Looking forward, he was shocked as he realised just how close Soi Fon was. Before he could say anything, he felt a hand on each shoulder lightly as her face pressed in against his, their lips meeting briefly. His heart jumped in surprise as he realised what was happening. It was only a brief moment, as Soi Fon leant back again, her face flushed from what she had done. Yoshirou could understand, his own heart beating erratically from the moment. Still sitting their shocked, he watched as Soi Fon stood, brushing the hair from her face.

"Just remember that, and remember the true reason why you hold your sword…"-Soi Fon said, before vanishing with shunpo, leaving him sitting alone. Yoshirou just sat their dumbly, completely gobsmacked at what just happened, before suddenly realising he was supposed to breath. Yoshirou could still feel what had happened, lightly touching his lip as he remembered the look on her face from so close. **Wow…** Yoshirou thought, still surprised by how suddenly that had happened. He half expected his zanpakuto to make some smart comment, but there was total silence from the part of his mind which the voice usually came from. Standing up, his limbs slightly numb from sitting, he realised that he was now alone, the wind blowing across the lavender field. **Who would have thought just by picking a scene like this, she would act that way…** Yoshirou wondered as he prepared to leave.

However, he was suddenly shocked by the impact of a heavy hand on each shoulder, each with a slightly different pressure. **What the-!** Yoshirou thought in shock, having not sensed any kind of presence nearby. His mind might have been surprised by what had happened with Soi Fon, but his senses instantly detected the presences behind him. He decided promptly to take no chances, taking a quick step back as he prepared to ram both of his elbows backwards into whatever beings had grabbed him. However, he suddenly saw a person appear in front of him, making him stop in surprise. "Y-Yoruichi?"-Yoshirou blurted out in surprise, recognising the face of the person, but not the strange black clothing she wore.

Yoruichi was grinning in front of him, dressed entirely in strange black raiment which Yoshirou had never seen before. Whatever it was, it seemed to be fooling his ability to perceive reiatsu as he couldn't sense her usual reiatsu signature. He guessed whoever the hands on his shoulders belonged to must also be dressed in identical clothing. He still couldn't see the people behind him, but the words that were said instantly revealed their identity. "Well well lover boy, seems I was right all along! I knew you were feeding us a bunch of lies!"-Kyoraku announced happily, pulling the strange black cap he had put over his usual Sakkat off, his reiatsu escaping from his now incomplete disguise.

Oh god, the people I definitely didn't need knowing Yoshirou thought miserably as Kyoraku walked beside Yoruichi, joined by a third shinigami which Yoshirou didn't even need to look to know would have been Ukitake. "How long have you guys been following me?"-Yoshirou asked as Ukitake pulled his own cloak off, his hair flowing freely now it was no longer constrained. Yoruichi laughed as she said-"Since we spotted you guys entering the cinema, didn't help Ikkaku had burst out laughing outside the place. Any way's…" Yoruichi turned about to face the two guys, saying-"You know what this means!" Yoshirou raised an eyebrow in confusion as the two men groaned. Ukitake noticed the expression, pulling an apologetic expression as he explained-"Sorry Yoshirou, but Yoruichi-san said we should make our wait more interesting and bet on the results of you're…err…date?"

Yoshirou felt like he wouldn't like the answer, but asked anyway-"What was the bet?" Ukitake scratched behind his head, laughing nervously as he said-"Well… on what would happen at the end. As you can guess, Yoruichi won with the bet that Soi Fon would be the one to, err… make the move?" Yoshirou felt that if any situation in real life deserved a face palm, that ridiculous term would be it. He restrained himself as he asked-"What does that make yours and Kyoraku's bet then?" laughing nervously again, Ukitake said-"Well, Kyoraku bet you would…make the move…and I… frankly I didn't think anything would happen between you two." Ukitake must have noticed the down hearted look on his face as he raised his hands placidly, saying-"Now now, I was wrong so why get upset about a guess?"

Kyoraku interrupted, giving Yoshirou a knock on the head as he said-"And I was relying on you to win it for me! Now we have to fork out for a drinking session for her, and god knows that woman can drink!" Yoruichi laughed again nearby, as she said-"I guessed this would be the result, pulled off exactly like Soi Fon would. Still, to think she really didn't take any of the advice I gave her on board, what on earth was she doing?" This stopped Kyoraku, who now turned on Yoruichi, complaining-"So you had already planned it out with her! No wonder you won!" Yoshirou sighed as the argument continued in the background, thinking back over what Soi Fon had said. **Don't fight for your own life, fight so that you can protect everyone, don't become strong to defeat Aizen become strong to protect what you care about… **Yoshirou smiled inwardly as he realised exactly what he wanted to do.

* * *

**Short chapter compared to normal, losing idea's at an incredible rate sorry. Anyhow, for anybody who actually reads the blurb, i'm thinking of doing an additional piece at the ends of my chapters, akin to the SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP (pure awesomeness). It's an idea in the prototype stage, but i'll probably put one down at the end of the next chapter. If you think it sucks, then i'll drop it, but I will probably need feedback to keep that part up.**

**Anyhow, seeya next chapter**

**(1)-Entirely serious, if you pick up a fast food box in england labbelled *Sushi*, it's actually Makizushi, it's mislabbelled so us simple non-japanese don't get confused (There may be places that correctly label it, but i'm yet to see one). Sushi is the generic name for the meal, Makizushi is what you will normally find inside a fast meal box, which is the fish and vegetables as a core of a rice *wrap*, about which a second *wrap* of seaweed is to keep the lot from falling out.**

**(2) Hidden pun here, I actually chose this flower as being what filled the field after some research; I wanted to find plants that attract hornets, the insect being the main theme behind Soi Fon. After some work, I only found three distinctive results, a strange orchid that works extremely well, but only on hornets since it smells like bee's (weird or what?). The other was banana plants, but that wouldn't have worked. Finally, I found lavender was another attracter for hornets, and that plant fitted the bill perfectly, since it also can be found wild in Japan, as well as just about any other country you care to point at which has some level of warmth above 0 degrees.**


	16. Chapter 16 Bankai Complete!

**Well, new chapter up! Sorry to warn, but theres going to be delays to the story for the next few days, things are getting hectic at my house, just writting this took every spare second I hand over the last three days.**

**Welcome to Kaore Ryu as well! It's encouraging to know i'm still getting new readers for my story! Also, thanks for the words of support Kishi, with your review I managed to finally get the idea down on computer, and if it turns out to work well, then I will be including more, sorry for the pressure but i'll be relying on you for feedback regarding the short additional chapters **

**(Thinking of doing a Q&A with the charecters from my story, so if theres any plot points anybody wants elaborated, any information people would like, or if you just want to see what kind of amusing commentary there can be on certain subjects, then don't hesitate to ask!)**

**Anyhow chapter up! And with this chapter the Bankai part is finally over, and this arc is nearing it's end. I'm trying to make each arc as close to 150k words as possible to stop lagging, so this will continue with random pieces up until before the third and final arrancar incursion, I have a unique storyline part for the Kido Corps as a whole that will run parrallel to the events at the time, so look forward to it! **

* * *

"Are you sure about this now?"-Taiyou asked as Yoshirou folded up his haori, depositing it on a nearby boulder. It was the day following the events on the date with Soi Fon, when Yoshirou had finally realised what was required of him. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he knew that if he kept on going as he had been he was going to get nowhere. After having been returned to Soul Society, with stern warnings from Ukitake not to go breaking his curfew again, he had retired to his chambers in his barracks. He hadn't even talked to Taiyou until the morning, when he had resolutely told the zanpakuto that he was going to finish his Bankai now. After a hasty dressing, he had shunpo'd over to the makeshift training arena, not even giving his squad any warnings about his departure. In hindsight as he prepared, he thought off hand that Kira was going to kill him for that, but he wanted to do this now. He had quickly summoned his zanpakuto, before getting ready.

"Well, except for what kind of trouble I'm going to be in when I get back, yep I think I'm ready now."-Yoshirou said as he leapt away from the overhang, towards the centre of the cavern. He concentrated on his blade, willing the phantom he had been fighting for so long to appear. After the first materialisation of the spirit, he had figured out how to do it himself, by forcing his will into the blade, challenging the blade instead of summoning the spirit like he did with Taiyou. Once again, Yoshirou found himself standing before the clone of Aizen, smiling slightly as it faced him. Yoshirou calmed himself, thinking once more on the words Soi Fon had said to him. The clone walked forward, this time drawing its own katana before Yoshirou, something he hadn't seen it do before. Stopping at a few metres away, the clone raised it's katana before itself, saying-"Your eyes have changed again, Yoshirou-kun, your fear is gone." Smiling, Yoshirou replied-"First Hitsugaya, now your commenting about my eyes. I don't get how you can tell by sight, but oh well-," now drawing his zanpakuto out, he held it in an identical guard to his opposition. "-I just decided I'm going to finish this today."-Yoshirou finished. The clone seemed to stare at him for a full minute, before finally asking-"Why do you desire your Bankai?"

Yoshirou drew a deep breath, before charging at full speed, shouting-"So I will have the power to protect everyone!" As he closed the gap, Yoshirou stabbed forward with his zanpakuto, but never expected what happened. The clone didn't move whatsoever, the sword piercing straight through its body. There was no blood, no feel of even contact with his opponent, leaving Yoshirou confused. He went to jump back, but a hand grabbed his shoulder, this one material unlike his opponent's body. Staring at Yoshirou's face, the face of Aizen mysteriously serious as it said-"Is this your resolve? This will be the last chance to turn away, is your will strong enough to carry through your words?" Yoshirou paused for a second, before nodding. The copy of Aizen smiled, before suddenly dispersing rapidly, becoming a cloud of light. Yoshirou drew his sword back, leaping back to get a clear sight of his opposition.

The light once again reformed, but now took a different shape. The body seemed to glow slightly, but Yoshirou could tell that it was another perfect clone. This time however, the smile upon its face was even more recognisable than Aizen's features, because he was staring at his own face, his own features, every detail a perfect mirror image of himself, except for the smile upon it's face, something seemed slightly out. **So, the final foe is me then?** Yoshirou wondered in slight confusion as the opponent put a hand out to the side. Just as he could, a sword materialised out of light, taking place in the clones hand. "Prepare yourself, today you will either gain your Bankai, or your soul shall be erased."-the clone repeated in a strange voice, not Aizen's voice like it had been using, nor his own. It was something entirely different, one that rang with a power Yoshirou was surprised to hear. The clone brought it's sword into a stance Yoshirou didn't recognise, before charging.

Yoshirou brought his sword downwards to try and parry the first stab attack, before recognising something. "Shit!"-Yoshirou cursed as the sword clashed off his own, somehow springing his blade up. The clone tried to take advantage of the opening, but Yoshirou retreated quickly, rather than try and stop his foe. Throwing himself backwards, landing awkwardly on his shoulder, he rolled to an upright position, as he watched his clone leaping at him, sword swinging to take advantage of his opponent**. I underestimated that, how could I not recognise my own technique!** Yoshirou thought as he raised a hand, forming a spell to try and absorb the impact. Just before the sword would have cut him, the spell activated, the golden Enkosen shield covering him. However, just as he expected, his opponent had too much power to be stopped by that, so Yoshirou leapt back, using the momentum from his opponent's attack to gain distance.

**How did I miss it?** Yoshirou wondered as he landed, skidding slightly. The clones opening blow had been one of the few zanjutsu tricks he had invented himself, an old one which he had quickly decided not to use due to its limited use against foes whose guard was stronger than his attack anyway. However, since the clone he was fighting matched his own abilities, it was a perfect attack for the situation, had he not seen it coming at the last second, the fight would have been over there and then. Taking his stance again, he re-evaluated what he could expect in his head**. I can assume it's got all of my own powers as well, so this is going to be difficult **Yoshirou thought as he watched his opponent charge again. Grimacing, he readied his own blade, charging to meet the attack himself. As the blades met, the air was rent with an almighty crack, the ground breaking where they had clashed.

Yoshirou put all of his strength behind the blade, as blow after blow rang out across the cavern, hoping that he could somehow overpower his foe, but it seemed the clone was trying to do exactly the same, their swords clashing against each other with metallic screeches. Yoshirou suddenly changed tact, releasing his grip with one hand; he pushed a palm forward, hoping to blast him at point blank with a spell. However, he noticed another hand in front of his, his enemy also planning the same assault. Both copy and real shinigami shouted out the same spell together_, "Hado no. 33, Soukatsui!"_ The air seemed to thrum with power as blue fire collected at both of their hands, before colliding with one another, the combined force creating an explosion that forced both combatants back, the clone in one direction, Yoshirou in the opposite, both reeling as they tried to regain their postures.

Yoshirou seemed to recover first, the terrain by pure luck being higher at his end. Landing as the clone continued to spin, trying to correct itself before landing, Yoshirou sensed the opening. Stabbing his zanpakuto into the earth to free his hands, he clapped them together, summoning more reiatsu into his hands. Pulling them apart, he seemingly summoned a pillar of blue into existence. _"Bakkudo no. 62, Hyapporankan!"_-Yoshirou shouted, just as his opponent landed. He quickly hefted the beam into a throwing position, before hurling it at his foe, hoping he had been fast enough. In midair, the beam replicated itself multiple times, filling the air with a hundred raining copies of itself. However, Yoshirou didn't anticipate that his foe would remain stationary instead of dodging. He had planned to force his clone to dodge the attack, catching him with a follow up Kido. However, the clone didn't move, instead charging an attack into its hands, the light burning yellow.

**Raikoho!** Yoshirou realised, before nearly mentally congratulating his foe. Out of all the way's to stop his attack, this was the most appropriate, by blasting them away with a more powerful Hado, forcing the foe to give up on a follow up in favour of dodging the new attack**. So this is how it's going to go?** Yoshirou wondered as he used his shunpo, vanishing just as the clone shouted with it's powerful voice_-"Hado no. 63, Raikoho!"_ The blast of energy flew forward, obliterating the majority of the blue rods as it flew in on Yoshirou's previous position. Yoshirou could only marvel at the destruction the spell wreaked, blowing boulders and rocks aside merely with the pressure of passing by. **Hell, what am I marvelling at, that's meant to be my power!** Yoshirou muttered internally as he flew through the air, the clone sensing his presence as he put his hand out, summoning his zanpakuto to his hand. The clone leapt skywards, its clothing whipping about it as it streamed for Yoshirou. Reversing in midair, he braced off a platform of drawn together reishi, determined to take advantage of his height to beat his foe this time. Leaping off the air with a shout, he flew straight for his foe once again, clashing with furious energy in mid air.

(P.O.V change)

Taiyou watched on as once again the air was distorted as the two warriors clashed, the real Yoshirou rocketing downwards as his superior position proved true. As she watched, the clone's momentum was halted entirely as the pair now rocketed towards the ground, creating shockwaves in the air from their clash which blew the scattered pebbles all over the cave. The two were quickly lost in a massive plume of dust as they both smashed into the earth, although not for long. **Yoshirou…** she thought forlornly as she watched him rocket out of the dirt holding his side, before smashing straight into a cliff. The lack of any flying blood meant he must have forgotten his foe had it's Hakuda at hand as well, taking a blow that sent him flying away. The air seemed to thrum with power as the foe started to build up energy for one fell attack. Taiyou couldn't understand what had happened, he had passed the test to better himself, but then the manifestation had taken it to another level, it no longer had the overwhelming inexplicable strength it had shown before, but it also wasn't holding back anymore, each attack she had seen had a ferocious level of killing intent, far more than Yoshirou could summon himself.

However, it wasn't like the clone was overpowering him yet, as before the foe could cast it's spell, a blast of summoned wind pressure, most likely the Sho spell, slammed into it, sending it flying across the seemingly arena as well, tumbling along the sharp rocks. As she watched, Yoshirou pulled himself from the rubble, having obviously guessed the clone's next move and beaten it to it. As she watched, he vanished again, chasing his foe down with shunpo. **But why is it trying to kill him?** Taiyou wondered as she raised her arm, trying to shield her eyes from the gravel as once again the two combatants met, swords slashing and parrying in a furious dance of skill and speed. Then the thought occurred to her, that perhaps the manifestation had deviated from her control, seemingly gaining a consciousness of its own and choosing his test anew. **Does that mean I should stop them? **Taiyou wondered as another boulder was vaporised by a flying spell, Yoshirou once again narrowly avoiding his death as he countered with a spell of his own.

…**I really don't think I can anymore…** Taiyou realised as she once again had to brace herself for the oncoming wave of pressure from their combat**. I can't control it anymore, the clone was right, either he wins or his soul will be erased, I just hope to god he can… **Taiyou thought to herself, biting her lip as she realised just how helpless she was to help her master with this punishing trial, the whole trial having been meaningless if in the end she had to aid him directly. Whatever this clone was, it had an exact copy of his powers, returning to her master would give the foe the exact same powers, and she had a feeling the clone would have a much better control of it's abilities than Yoshirou, after all it was born of his powers. It was all down to whether his determination would be enough to win.

(P.O.V change) (1 hour later)

Yoshirou grit his teeth as he did everything to try and break past his opponents guard. Once again they had found themselves facing one another, striving to overpower the other. The entire cave was now a mess, destroyed boulders littering everywhere, the few struggling tree's that had been planted smashed aside by the force of their conflict. Now that the test was starting to drag on, the first thoughts of doubt were passing into Yoshirou's mind. He didn't know how much reiatsu his opponent had, whether it also matched his own. As it was, he was starting to run out, while he could normally fight for longer than this, his opponent had been tenacious, forcing him to constantly dodge, block and attack to survive. He had suffered a few injuries as well; he thought that a couple of his ribs may have cracked from the earth shattering blow the clone had gained on him. His face had also been caught by a spell, his view slightly blurred out of one eye as he tried to ignore the pain from the burnt injury. The other injuries were just superficial, caused by impacting on rocks or minor hits where his foes blade had nicked him

His enemy had also taken damage as well, although it didn't seem to show any signs of weakening, its spirit hardly diminished. One of the clones legs were damaged, a result of trying to stop the impact caused by their earlier clash, when Yoshirou had received the return blow to his body due to dropping his guard. However, its speed was hardly stopped, not letting the leg inconvenience it at all. The robes it wore were also a mess, as Yoshirou had nearly smashed him straight through the cliff edge earlier. Yoshirou had noticed as he fought that the clone differed from him in another aspect other than just glowing with light, its face. While initially, the face had been his own, the expressions had changed as they fought to ones he had never used, anger, rage and hate seemed to be reflected in the features, almost randomly. Also its eyes blazed completely with light, no pupils at all. The change was enough to make Yoshirou question what exactly he was fighting, rather unlike his previous test; this foe was clearly trying to kill him. He couldn't understand why, but his foe wasn't exactly giving him time to think, having to put all his force into the blade to stop himself being overwhelmed.

"Is this the extent of your resolve?"

"Eh?"-Yoshirou replied in confusion, although refusing to let up the pressure on his katana. The clone had deigned to speak, now that their swords were locked together in their struggle. "Your resolve, is this all there is to it?"-the clone asked, its voice ringing with that alien tone and strange power that the previous copy didn't have. Grimacing, Yoshirou asked-"what are you getting at?" The clone didn't respond, instead shaking its head as if disappointed. Suddenly, Yoshirou felt the pressure against his blade ease. **Uh oh** Yoshirou realised as the pressure was brought back doubled, forcing him flying backwards. Still flying through the air, Yoshirou's eyes widened as his foe seemingly disappeared, barely getting his blade up in time. Luckily, his sword weakened the power of his foes blow, but he still felt the blade slash his chest. "Shit!"-Yoshirou exclaimed as he jumped back on the air, thanking that he had managed to get his blade up, the cut on his chest burning with pain, but not a fatal blow.

Landing back on the ground, he only had milliseconds to react as a crunch behind him had him leap high, his clone making a follow up attack at lightning speed. He instantly pushed his legs forward, creating a new platform in air to kick off of to fly backwards, straight over the head of the clone who had seemingly stopped after that quick attack. As Yoshirou skidded to a halt, trying to ignore the pain as his blood seeped over his robes, he put his sword into a guard position once more. **I lost sight of him?** Yoshirou wondered as his opponent stared at him out of the corner of his eye, head turned rather than bothering to face Yoshirou. **How? He's supposed to be the same as me! How is he suddenly the stronger? **Yoshirou thought as he quickly risked whipping the increasing amount of sweat from his face. A bad move it seemed as he lowered his hand, the millisecond that he lost sight of his foe, the clone moved, blade held high to strike again.

**How?** Yoshirou dismally thought again as he raised his blade, his arms now numbing from the increased force of his opponents strike as he blocked it, the ground cracking as he was forced back slightly. Releasing one hand from his sword, he punched forward, trying to catch his foe off guard. But once again, he forgot his foe was also used to hand to weapon fighting, dodging its head aside as it caught his wrist. **How…?** Yoshirou thought as his world became pain, the hilt of his opponents zanpakuto smashed into his nose, breaking it instantly. Disorientated, he felt his arm being pulled on as his opponent threw him away, its fist raised as it prepared a spell. **How…** Yoshirou thought as he watched the wall of flame catch up with him. At the last second, he righted himself, pushing his hand into the heart of the oncoming inferno as he cancelled the spell, his hand charring from contact with the spell. He was now breathing hard; he had taken so many injuries in only a few seconds compared to earlier. Landing once again, he saw his opponent raise it's sword up high, reiatsu storming about itself and its blade. "Let us end this, Yoshirou."-the clone said in a strange tone, as if it was disappointed in him.

(P.O.V change)

Taiyou could only look on with despair as Yoshirou started to get forced back, his opponent now increasing its reiatsu outage. Taiyou could correctly gauge what Yoshirou couldn't, his opponent wasn't growing in power at all, it was just putting more and more behind each blow, it almost felt like an indomitable will, as if the foe had finally resolved to finish the fight here and now, something she hadn't seen before. It reminded her of the exact same jump she felt when they had faced Yamamoto, Yoshirou's power had skyrocketed beyond its normal limit as he resolved himself to face Yamamoto with the two elder Captains, if the clone was doing something, it was alike to this. She could sense the difference between their reiatsu's immediately; Yoshirou's was wavering, losing confidence in the face of its foe. The clone's reiatsu felt as tempered as steel, and filled with intent to kill him. Yoshirou was going to lose this fight Taiyou realised, as the air funnelled into a vortex about the foe's blade, the blade seemingly keening, as if it couldn't wait to be swung.

**Sorry Yoshirou…** Taiyou thought as she raised her own arm out, pulling back her robe sleeve as she summoning her own power. **I'm not going to let you die for this.** A katana of light appearing in the air above her hand. Catching the blade, she held it to her side, thinking **You've done enough, it just seems my power isn't ready to submit itself to you yet. **Tensing her muscles as she made to join the battle herself, she was suddenly stopped, an arm held before her. Shocked by the presence of another person, her eyes followed the arm along until they caught the sight of the body they belonged to. "So, you're Taiyoukousen, his zanpakuto? I was right, you are elegant indeed."-Soi Fon noted. Taiyou's eyes widened in surprise, nobody should have been able to enter the hideout, let alone find it. As she watched, Soi Fon lowered her arm again, before walking to the edge of the overhang they were both standing on.

(P.O.V change)

"Idiot, what do you think your doing!"-a distinctively familiar voice rang out across the cave. Yoshirou tensed in surprise, before casting an eye over his shoulder to see where it had come from. Just as he thought, standing beside Taiyou was the Captain who the voice belonged to. Chuckling quietly to himself, he thought **Trust her to get here just when I'm looking my worst.** Pushing aside the thoughts of how exactly she had gotten here, he sighed as he faced his foe once more, trying to focus again. "Where's your resolve! You're trying to win without any resolve! I thought you were fighting to protect us all, Yoshirou!"-Soi Fon shouted out again. Yoshirou couldn't help but get annoyed at how she put that. He had put everything into this, but his foe was just that much stronger than he was, even now he didn't bother to take advantage of the opening, the blade still casting it's keening noise across the cavern. "If you lose here, what's going to happen? When Aizen comes, how are we supposed to face him without you?"-Soi Fon asked in a slightly quieter tone.

"I still believe you can defeat Aizen, but unless you grasp this power, there will be casualties, you can't protect everyone without that power!" Yoshirou heard those words, and they caused the thoughts to go through his head. She's right, even if I'm strong enough to face Aizen, he will kill more unless I'm strong enough to protect everyone with defeating him. Straightening up again, he looked skyward, chuckling quietly as to just how strange it was that everything seemed to rely on him winning this final clash. Breathing out slowly, he lowered his face until it was level with his foe. Raising his own katana up, he remembered a few words he had memorised from his conversation with Zangetsu. The words he had used to inspire Ichigo into releasing his zanpakuto originally.

**Cast off your fear! Look forward! Go forward! Never stand still! Retreat and you will age! Hesitate and you will die!**

**Look forward…** Yoshirou thought as he looked level at his foe, summoning his power about him. **Hesitate and you will die…** Now the wind's direction changed, rather the funnelling completely about the clone's sword, the air twisted, pulled in with his own reiatsu, spiralling about his blade as he summoned his power. Yoshirou could feel his own energy responding to his will, swelling inside him as he narrowed his thoughts. **There is only one enemy, only one path to take...** he remembered, the words clear from his instruction from Soi Fon. With that thought, the scene from yesterday flashed for a second in his mind, Soi Fon standing with her back to the wind, hair flowing with the wind, a smile on her face as she told him "_**Just remember that, and remember the true reason why you hold your sword…"**_

As he remembered this, his power activated of its own accord, his robe half disintegrating as his power erupted outwards, his Shunko reacting to the power of his will. Across the way, his clone could see the original's eyes, shining bright with power and determination. Smiling strangely, it brought it's sword down, pulling it tight to its chest pointing towards Yoshirou. "Your resolve is set; this will be decided by the next blow. Are you ready, Yoshirou!"-the copy shouted in a thunderous voice, tiny stones falling from the cliff edge from the sheer power. Yoshirou copied his foe's pose, sword in tight as he prepared to charge, his sword also keening, but with a completely different tone to his foe, one that sounded more like a musical tone than the intense screech from his foe's sword.

As one, copy and original charged, each step made with enough force to crack the earth. As the two onlookers watched, both charged directly at each other, sword held in the same position. As the two blades met, point on point, everything disappeared in a tremendous burst of light and reiatsu, blowing boulders flying, and even forcing Soi Fon and Taiyou to take cover from the intense force. After a few seconds of intense wind howling, the two raised themselves up again to see the result of the attack. Soi Fon's eyes widened at the sight, both men staring at each other from centimetres away, faces as close as they could be, arms poised in the impaling motion. However, there was no blade erupting from Yoshirou's heart, as the path of his foe's blade should have gone. The katana the foe held had been reduced to nothing but a handle, the blade completely erased seemingly, Yoshirou's own blade having passed straight through what should have been the heart of his foe.

Suddenly, the foe blazed with light, the light taking a strange form as Yoshirou and clone were hidden from view, seemingly by wings of pure light, engulfing both fighters. Inside the wings, Yoshirou looked with surprise at his foe, his own blade disintegrating into light without him willing it. The copy had once again been engulfed in light, but now was taking a form Yoshirou had never seen before. As the light coalesced, he could see a young man, beautiful for a lack of words to describe the serene grace that he seemed to emit, dressed in a strange set of rustic robes, seemingly not of the traditional origin, or too old for Yoshirou to recognise. The numerous wings that enveloped them seemed to come from the new forms back, causing Yoshirou to say quietly-"A Seraph…" (1)

Smiling serenely down at Yoshirou, for its form even towered above him, the seraph said quietly-"Greetings, my aruji, we have never met before, but my name is Tengoku no Shibou." **The original form of the Light Zanpakuto?** Yoshirou wondered in his mind, but it seemed the zanpakuto could hear his thoughts, as it replied-"A fraction. I am the true form of the light zanpakuto, Taiyoukousen and myself are two sides of the same coin, Taiyoukousen being my power reformed by the pure will of the Hikari bloodline. I am merely a representation of that which was hidden when your will brought her forth, the pain that you separated from her, now cleansed by your pure resolve. I must apologise for what I just put you through, but if you seek the power to protect others, it can only come by making your power complete. Cleansing the true form of the accumulated pain was the only way to do so."

"Wait, so you're telling me that clone I fought was the remaining fractions of your power?"-Yoshirou marvelled, wondering just how powerful this zanpakuto must be if a mere fraction of it nearly overwhelmed him. Nodding, the zanpakuto continued-"Your resolve to protect others has purged the damage my previous Aruji caused by his thirst for power. Now, you have my gratitude, and my power is yours to command." Yoshirou was confused, as he said-"I thought I was gaining the Bankai of Taiyou, not a new zanpakuto form." Smiling, the zanpakuto started to glow with light, the words now coming inside his mind.

**If that is your will, then I shall give my remaining power to her, to be at your disposal. But do not forget, if you find your strength fails you, if you need more to protect that which you cherish, then call out to me once again. You have my approval, but you will find my submission harder to gain, only call upon me if you have no other choice, a tougher trial of the heart than this one of the body is waiting… until next we meet, my Aruji…**

The body of the zanpakuto dissolved into light, along with the wings, all of it condensing in a dazzling display of light into a zanpakuto, the blade gleaming with pure light as it revolved slowly in the air before him. Yoshirou hesitated for a second, before remembering that hesitation meant death. Steeling himself, he plunged his hand through the veil of light that surrounded the blade, grasping the handle of the zanpakuto. As he did so, he felt an intense amount of power from the blade, literally burn it's way along his arm, flowing like a fiery river through his veins before it reached his torso. There, it sunk into his Saketsu, before he literally shouted out with an indescribable force, his reiatsu blasting apart the area about him as it skyrocketed, blasting straight upwards in a blazing column of light. The column of light seemed to split about him, once again flowing down as enormous countless wings that enveloped him in their blazing light, before sinking into his body once more. He stood standing for a few seconds, the reiatsu about him going down now, before he lost consciousness, falling out of the air towards the crater that his power had dug out of the earth below him.

(P.O.V change)

Before he hit the floor, Taiyou moved, using shunpo to arrive below his falling body, catching him in her arms as she slowly descended to the ground. As she landed on the ground, Soi Fon also standing there waiting for her, the zanpakuto he held fell from his hands, clattering upon the charcoaled earth. Soi Fon reached down, picking up the blade, still glowing gently with light even though he was unconscious and not putting any reiatsu into the blade. She couldn't understand, this had to be an unreleased zanpakuto, but it was thrumming with a now gentle power, light shimmering up and down the blade. As she looked closer, she saw elaborate Kanji inscribed across the blade, seemingly flowing with the light. "The blade…that defends…the cherished…"-she read out loud, shocked by the way that the unreleased sword had taken its own form. The blade was still the same as before, an average length katana, the hilt and handle guard the same golden wrap with a sun symbol as before, but the power flowing within it, the way the blade glowed gently with light, she could swear it was already released.

Turning back to Taiyou, who was carefully laying him on the earth, she could see that for all of the wounds, all of the exertion he had gone through, he was still smiling even as he fell unconscious. As she knelt beside Yoshirou, Taiyou swayed slightly, making Soi Fon have to stop her from falling. "If you're his zanpakuto, how come you're able to keep your form even as he lays unconscious?"-Soi Fon asked in slight confusion. Everything about what she had just seen had been different from what she understood about zanpakuto. The test hadn't been done by Taiyoukousen, rather a different entity, whatever Yoshirou had fought had been pouring out an unbelievable killing intent, more than Soi Fon had ever seen in any foe she had fought, the fact that Yoshirou could even face that kind of intent amazing in itself. Now the zanpakuto that she was holding, supporting the spirit with one hand, holding the blade with the other; both were completely wrong, one pulsing with energy when it shouldn't, the other putting out body heat when a spirit shouldn't be corporeal enough for that.

"S-Sorry, it's something I cannot tell you."-Taiyou said, no longer swaying. When she had touched Yoshirou's body, there had been a strange transfer of energy between the two which had surprised her. Luckily it was nowhere near as riotous as Yoshirou's transfer when he took the new zanpakuto, so she didn't fall unconscious like he did. However, she could sense the power anew in both herself and Yoshirou, but it didn't feel foreign like she had expected, more as if something inside herself had been unlocked. She wanted to talk to her master, to try and understand what had happened, but for now he was lying there peacefully so she didn't want to try and force consciousness on him. Instead, wanting to figure something out, she turned to Soi Fon and asked-"How exactly did you find us?"

Soi Fon glanced about the cave, before saying-"A guess really. While I've never been in the cavern proper, when Yoruichi first made this…training area I would guess, I had once followed her here, although she turned me back before I discovered the cave. That and while I was at the barracks, I could sense the massive reiatsu from miles away, getting closer to the source, the entire valley for a mile around this place is filled with enough pressure to knock out a normal shinigami, it had to be a Captain fighting, so I realised he must be here." Taiyou looked up at the Captain, before smiling slightly, saying-"Thank you for coming, if you hadn't encouraged him I don't know what might have happened." Soi Fon sighed, replying-"I knew the idiot would go wrong somehow, it's like he needs somebody to hold his hand to do anything." Taiyou laughed gently at that, leaning close to Yoshirou's face as she looked at his peaceful features, saying quietly-"Yes, he does."

Soi Fon seemed uncomfortable at watching this, something that didn't escape Taiyou's attention as she pulled away from him. "Soi Fon, would you mind if I ask you a question?"-Taiyou asked, earning a suspicious glance from the Captain. "Do you love him?" Soi Fon practically leapt backwards at the question, face flaring red as she realised what she was being asked. "W-Why are you asking?"-Soi Fon stuttered out, frustrated at being questioned this way by a zanpakuto alone, but remembering that Taiyou was a lot more than she let on. "I love him."-Taiyou stated simply, saying it as a clear fact, earning a strange look from Soi Fon, something that she thought would be jealousy, but couldn't be sure since Yoshirou had never acted jealous so she didn't understand the emotion fully. Smiling, she said-"But that's because he is everything to me, and as such I also understand his heart, perhaps better than he does. He cares for you as well; your words are what move his heart, not mine. I may only be a zanpakuto, but I think the two of you would be better together, it's something for you to consider." As she said this, she vanished, her power returning to the katana in Soi Fon's hand.

Looking down at the sword, she watched the shining kanji inscription again, shimmering as it repeated its message to the world. "Protect the cherished, huh?"-Soi Fon repeated quietly as she looked down at the prone figure of Yoshirou. Smiling slightly herself, she wondered who were the cherished the kanji referred to, whether it was everyone or those who were close to his heart, and if it was the latter, could she count on him to protect her as well. **Would be interesting being the protected for once** Soi Fon thought, laughing at how strange it was that she was one the one who would do everything to protect someone, yet now he was the one giving his all to protect who he cared for.

* * *

**Chapter over, and now, with all thanks to Kishi for the support, the first of my SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP stories begins! Certain parts will be my charecters included into the existing ones, but some ones will be entirely unique, all Episodes of this bonus part are taken outside of the Cannon storyline, the best way to put it is that these stories take place sometime after Aizen's betrayel, but before the Vizard training began. Enjoy! (Hopefully)**

* * *

SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP (Imagine Kon flying with rainbow colours behind him if you can!)

Kira sighed as she sat at the table, worried about whatever crazy plan was about to be concocted by the president of the group. She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she agreed to join the Shinigami Women's Association, but some of the crazy going on's she had witnessed included the cruel oppression of the opposite group, the Shinigami Men's Association. **Well, I may say cruel but it was funny to see Iba's crying face when he learnt we had lowered their budget again** Kira thought, remembering the unique flood of tears that could come flying without provocation from under his shades, at ends with his strange need to look macho at their meetings. There was an *ahem* from the top of the table as Nanao announced sternly-"The first topic of this emergency meeting is regarding the budget, or therein lack of-"

"We're out of money already?"-Yachiru suddenly interrupted loudly. Nanao sighed as she pushed her glasses up, saying-"Yes, we've used up all of our funds for this term." Yachiru knocked her fists don on the table moodily as she accused-"Everyone, you're wasting too much cash!" Kira was about to contradict her, but Nanao practically exploded out of her seat as she argued-"President, you're the one who has used the most!" Yachiru looked at her curiously, as if unbelieving of her words, before sitting down with a quiet-"oh…" **She doesn't care less…** Kira thought as Nanao regained control of herself, sitting back at her desk as she announced-"So everyone, we've decided to sell candid pictures of famous people as a means of quickly earning cash. You may have heard of people doing this in the real world. Such photographers are known as paparazzi."

**Paparazzi?** Kira wondered as Nanao continued, her glasses taking a strange gleam as she announced-"Our targets will be the stars of the Gotei 13!" There was a universal silence, before everybody in the room shouted out "EH?" Nanao coughed discreetly to get everyone's attention, before continuing-"As most of the members aren't present today, different people will have to take different roles." Nanao pointed at each of them in turn with a fan, declaring their targets. "To start with, Nemu, you are going to get photos of Kuchiki-taichou! Isane-fukutaichou will assist you in this." Nemu nodded quietly, no real response other than that. Isane laughed nervously, saying-"Erm…", but Nanao ignored her. Turning her fan sideways one, she pointed at Soi Fon, declaring-"Kiyone-fukutaichou, you will handle Ukitake-taichou! Soi Fon-taichou will assist you in case he makes it difficult for you." Soi Fon managed the same response as Nemu, except making it more stiff motion. A strange, slightly perverted chuckle seemed to escape Kiyone's mouth as she considered this target, making Kira's hairs stand on end, but Nanao ignored this, continuing none the less.

Turning again, she pointed to Matsumoto, saying-"You will work on getting photo's for Kira and Hisagi-fukutaichou, since you are drinking friends with them, you shouldn't need any help in the matter!" Matsumoto smiled as she put her thumb up, saying-"Leave it to me!" Pushing her glasses up once more, Nanao said-"That will be all, everybody except Kira-fukutaichou and Soi Fon-taichou are dismissed!" As everybody else started to file out, Yachiru started pounding her fists on her desk in a tantrum as she shouted-"Why wasn't I given somebody to photo!" Sighing irritably, Nanao said-"Okay, you can take photos of Zaraki-taichou, but please for the love of god don't take photos when he's butchering people or pulling creepy faces!" Yachiru beamed as she practically bounced out of her seat, before pelting out of the room, her childish laugh ringing along the corridors.

Turning to the two remaining women, Nanao said-"You both are to be given vital targets as well, but ones of a….different nature. Since we need definite sales in this, we need to pick the most appealing targets for both audiences. Soi Fon-taichou, you are familiar with the previous Captain Yoruichi, correct? She has and always will be extremely popular amongst the male audiences, so your priority will be getting candid photos of her, preferably revealing ones." Turning now to Kira, who had a bad feeling of what was about to come, Nanao announced-"Your target should be obvious. Out of all the Captains, the most popular with the female audience has always traditionally been Ukitake, but your Captain has garnered huge popularity among the female shinigami after his part in the uprising, as both attractive and powerful. As such, your target will be to get photos of your Captain, also preferably revealing." For some reason, the look Soi Fon gave Kira made her worried, but she was more concerned of the situation she was in, seeing as how Nanao pointed out how important her role was.

**How the hell do I get revealing pictures of Taichou?**

* * *

**Hrm, after re-reading this, I don't think it came off as humerously as I had hoped...I suppose text doesn't beat the animated version or drawn version, but I did the best I could.**

**Well chapter over! Not long until the main storyline rears its head again, trust me, but theres a couple of things I want to work on, firstly how in hell did Rukia suddenly become capable of casting high level Kido in tandem, when even VC have trouble? That's a plot point I wanna clean up before it happens, that and a couple of other points (who wants to see Yoshirou's arse kicked nine kinds of colour in his training with Yamamoto?). Well, seeya all in the future chapters!**

**(1) A Seraph, or Seraphim, is a type of angel described in Christianity religious text. Out of all the angels, it is regarded as the most highly revered beings, each with six wings rather than the usual two seen on an angel, said to burn so brightly with light and charity that no lower angels can look upon them, only God may see them in their brilliance. In the hierarchy of heaven, Angels and Archangels as seen upon earth are at the lowest rank, placed 11th and 10th respectively. Seraphs are the top, arrayed to sit about God's throne itself, and also beings that heralded the birth of Jesus in the sky. Of course, this is if your Christian, I'm not being religious, but I've wanted to include the Seraph theme for Tengoku no Shibou since the start of my story.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry about the long wait, the worst thing that could happen happened... no not my death, a damn illness (ok i'm a hypochondriac, but hell everybody gets a case of *man flu* at least once!)**

**Anyhow, sorry if this chapter seems to ramble on and, well if it doesn't make any sense. Theres very little you can do with a brain that feels like it's been tortured, so don't expect an awesome story today, I did what I could.**

**Anyway's, with that let the chapter commence!**

* * *

Yoshirou woke to a ceiling made of rock, a strange sight he hadn't expected until his memories of what had happened prior to him falling unconscious filtered through. **Oh yeah, I'm at the cavern aren't I?** Yoshirou rhetorically asked himself in his thoughts, his mind still a bit foggy from exhaustion. He noticed that he seemed to be in the middle of a crater of sorts, although he wasn't in the right mind to realise it was one of his own creating, his thoughts still slightly muddled. He then realised his head was propped up by something. Reaching around, he found his Haori under his head; even in his state he knew he didn't put his Haori in the middle of a crater. **I put it on a rock before I started training again… did somebody else put it there?** Yoshirou thought, before noticing something else. As his body started aching again, everything came back in a rush, his confusion banished instantly.

Sitting up in a rush, he hissed slightly in reaction to the pain his sudden movement caused his torso. **Why in hell do I never feel these wounds until after the battles over**? Yoshirou thought as he tried to relax his muscles sudden tensing, putting a hand to his chest. He was surprised to touch material there, his memories telling him that he had ruined his robes again during the fight. Looking down, he nearly laughed at the sight; it looked like somebody had done a botch job trying to patch the wounds with makeshift bandages from shihakshou material. **Thanks for the thought Taiyou, but kinda unnecessary Yoshirou **laughed internally.

_You hardly think I would waste my time doing that when you would just heal it when you woke up? That was the Captains work, not mine. She seemed concerned that they would bleed out I think._

**Soi Fon!** Yoshirou realised, quickly turning his head to see if she was nearby. However, using his senses, he realised her reiatsu was nowhere near here, no other reiatsu source was near for a couple of miles. Slightly disappointed, Yoshirou summoned his reiatsu as he set to healing the damage to his chest. As he continued for the next few minutes, he realised she must have also brought his Haori down to rest his head, something that surprised him as he hadn't thought her the type to be considerate of the small details. Smiling to himself, he realised that he owed the Captain big time, it wasn't by purely his own strength that he had managed to get through this trial, not only had she given him the answer, but her support had given him the resolve to defeat his enemy. **Man, I never actually took the term *power of the heart* seriously, but I might have become a believer just now** Yoshirou joked internally, before suddenly realising something with shock.

**What the hell!** Yoshirou thought with surprise as he looked down at his chest. Ripping the makeshift cover aside, he looked with disbelieving eyes at the place where the wound had been, now perfectly clear of any signs of damage. His hand dropped the bandage in shock, unable to believe the sight of his healed chest. **T-That couldn't have been ten minutes! How the hell is it good as new already! I was only planning to close the wound a bit, but it's healed entirely!**

_That is surprising, a side effect of me regaining control of my full power?_

B**-But isn't that just an increase of reiatsu? How could it have accelerated my healing abilities?** Yoshirou thought, unsure as to what this meant. He knew gaining his Bankai would make him stronger, but he didn't expect his abilities to actually change even outside of using his zanpakuto. Touching where the wound was again, still unsure about what it meant, he wondered whether other things might have changed. Picking himself up from the ground, he looked about the crater he had caused; surprised that it was possible for pure reiatsu to actually damage the environment. He had seen this effect only once before, when Yamamoto's reiatsu had ignited everything about him when he drew on his powers. Realising there must be a connection between an elemental Bankai and a change in reiatsu, he pulled on some of his reiatsu, gathering it about his hand.

However, it seemed whatever destructive power his reiatsu had unleashed earlier wasn't easily summoned; all that he saw was an aura of gold about his fist, glowing gently with light. He was half relieved that nothing did happen; he didn't look forward to having to relearn all of his abilities if his Bankai training had warped them. It seemed that his training had only changed his healing capabilities, not only super accelerating the process, but also reducing the fatigue, his healing having taken less reiatsu than he had anticipated. **Well… **Yoshirou thought, a small smile appearing on his face. **Time to see whether this was all worth it…**

Looking down at the ground, he realised his zanpakuto was nowhere in sight. It took him a few seconds to realise that it must have been put back in its sheath while he was unconscious. Drawing the blade, he instantly realised something was wrong, the handle was warm to the touch. Looking down at his blade in surprise, he realised it was emitting light without him channelling his reiatsu into it. "What the hell…"-Yoshirou whispered to himself in surprise as he watched the light dance across the blade, seemingly reacting to his touch. Most notably was a strange etching that he knew he hadn't put on the blade before. **Is this your doing?** Yoshirou asked as he read out the message inscribed in the sword to himself.

_No, that sword is different, for some reason after you emerged from that light, you were holding that zanpakuto. When I touched you, it felt like some kind of charge passed to me, connecting me mentally to that blade. I'm not sure but I think that's meant to be my new form._

**Really…** Yoshirou thought as he looked at the blade. **I prefer your old form to be honest…**

_*sigh* that's not my Shikai form, idiot._

**Oh…** Yoshirou thought, slightly embarrassed that he had actually thought that for a second. He hadn't released the blade so there was no way it could be her form. **So has the Shikai changed?** Yoshirou wondered as he swung the sword down, preparing to release the blade as he channelled his reiatsu into it. He jumped when he heard a *clang* noise, dirt kicked up from the ground below him. Looking down, he realised that the blade had extended, forming the much more familiar Shikai form of his zanpakuto, that blade's collision with the ground being the noise he heard. **But I didn't even use the release phrase!** Yoshirou thought, before remembering what Komamura had done, skipping the incantation.

Relieved that his Shikai was still the same, he realised something weird about the blade edge. The blade edge seemed much more intense than before, light practically radiating away from the blade as he let his reiatsu flow through it. **So… **Yoshirou wondered as he lifted the blade up, light as a feather despite it's massive size. **How do I do it?**

_I… actually don't know, just try swinging the blade slowly until you feel anything familiar._

Nodding to himself, he started passing the Shikai through various poses, all the numerous poses he could think of that he had been taught. None of them felt correct thought, although he felt that whatever pose he should take, it definitely required both hands on the blade hilt. He kept it up for easily ten minutes, trying to feel which way would be best, but nothing seemed to work. Frustrated, he resealed the sword, admiring the new form the sword took once more before sheathing the sword. **Oh well, I have the power now, just need to figure out how to release it, shouldn't take much.** Yoshirou thought off hand to himself.

Kneeling down, he took his Haori up from the ground, unfolding the bundle before putting it on his torso again. I really have to get a new kind of shihakshou if I plan to keep this up… Yoshirou thought as he looked at the ruined remains of yet another uniform. He still couldn't understand how his power had activated itself before the final clash, he understood that it was his resolve that brought his reiatsu up to it's full power, but he made no conscious attempt to use Shunko, why it activated was beyond his understanding. **I suppose while I'm not using your power, Shunko is my strongest fighting technique** Yoshirou thought. **It's useless combined with your Shikai, but in your sealed form or without any kind of sword, it's more readily useable than Kido.**

_Well, Shunko is only attainable by combining Kido and Hakuda energy, so it would be a naturally powerful technique. I think if it weren't for my own abilities as the light zanpakuto, it would have easily been your most powerful technique like it is for Yoruichi and Soi Fon. _

**Hmm. How come Soi Fon was here anyway?**

_She was probably concerned for you, rightly too. You could have been killed by that apparition._

Yoshirou sighed as he remembered his meeting with the apparent form of the original zanpakuto. The entity had seemed ethereal and alien, completely different to Taiyou who seemed almost too human to be a zanpakuto. He was half glad that he hadn't inherited the original form of the sword, even if it was far stronger than his original power. **Is that what a zanpakuto is to a normal shinigami?**

_Possibly, I wouldn't know. I doubt it though, Zangetsu seemed normal enough when we met him._

Yoshirou laughed slightly as he remembered the spirit form of Zangetsu, he had put off a strangely wise and calm feel despite his unkempt appearance. Everything about the spirit seemed ragged, his face covered with bristle, his clothes all tattered at the edges and with ragged long hair. But even then, he could tell from just sensing the zanpakuto that it was obviously that. Taiyou was one extreme, a zanpakuto form that seemed almost human, Zangetsu was less human than that, while Tengoku no Shibou was the complete opposite, so ethereal and alien that nobody could have mistaken it as a facsimile of humanity despite the serene aura that it seemed to put off. **Jeez, both of you are at the opposite ends of the scale, with Zangetsu seemingly halfway, strange zanpakuto.**

_And what does that make you, the man with two zanpakuto? I'd say that's even stranger._

**Touché** Yoshirou laughed internally. **Hey, speaking about Zangetsu…** Yoshirou thought, remembering the time when he had seen Kurosaki use Bankai. He unsheathed his sword, releasing it as he pulled it from the sheath in one fluid motion. He then tried stabbing the blade forward with his right arm, putting his left hand on his right arm to support it. **….nope, still no good** Yoshirou thought. Sighing, he tried to go through his memories of when he had seen Bankai before. For the next ten minutes, he practiced the same movement phases as multiple Captains, yet again feeling no reaction from his body when he took a pose. Frustrated again, he tried a different idea.

He carefully went through his memories to important times when he had used his zanpakuto powers. The most recent memory was obviously a few minutes ago, although he doubted that one would work. Doing it none-the-less, he raised his blade up high while summoning his reiatsu about him. However, once again he felt no reaction, no instinctual feeling that it was right. Sighing, he went to the next one, when he faced Aizen. However, he couldn't remember whether he had actually used any form during that fight, it was a bit too desperate combat, no time to gather his wits or take any stance. His next memory was against Yamamoto, where he used Taiyoukousen to negate the flames of Ryuujin Jakka. He now lifted Taiyoukousen so the blade was parallel to his body, the tip towering over his head. However, he still felt nothing.

He was still getting nowhere, until he remembered two memories. The first was from nearly a century ago, back when he was still relatively new to his powers, at the moment when he had slain the monstrosity that had threatened his fellow squad members, not knowing this to be the first time he would be pulled into the vortex of plans from Aizen. The memory was faint, but it was also one of the few times when he had purely given in to his feelings, his power connecting to his emotions. He had rarely done this, most of the time his power coming from defeating the foe with his tactical mind and combat ability. However, every now and then he had let his emotions rule his power, the first being when he faced Creedo, the second when he told Aizen he would kill him. The second memory was more recent, and one that he had not considered, but also had a common stance that he had used to pull out his powers.

**Could it really be that?** Yoshirou wondered as he grabbed the hilt of the zanpakuto with both hands. He then turned the blade upside down, the tip of the Shikai just about to go through the floor, his arms crossing his chest as his hands held the hilt. He instantly felt it *click* inside his head, as he pulled on his reiatsu, it seemed to flow differently from the new pose, the light disappearing from the blade edge as it instead gathered inside the hollow section that was cut out of the centre of the blade, running from the sun cross guard down to the tip (1). Yoshirou smiled fiercely in success as he started pulling on his reiatsu, while unnoticed about him small rocks and pebbles started to fly away from him from the wind pressure caused by his reiatsu. Yoshirou's body literally lit up, light blazing from about him brightly as he shouted-"Bankai!"

(2 minutes later)

Yoshirou was flat on his back, exhausted from using his new power. **Fuck, I don't think I've ever been tired out that fast…** Yoshirou thought as his chest was heaving, trying to draw in breath again. His whole body was aching from just using the new power he had gained, his muscles feeling like they had been crushed by the power that he had drawn from his new release, his body covered in sweat from the exertion.

_I-I think every Bankai user experiences that when they first use their power… Then again, you did pull on a bit too much at once…_

**Heh yeah** Yoshirou thought as he tried to turn his aching neck. Looking out the new hole he had practically burnt through the mountainside, he could understand why his body was in that much pain. If it could burn a path through that much solid rock with ease, it probably would damage his body to use it unwisely. **Still, at least there's more light in the cave now…** Yoshirou joked as he saw the sun through the hole, his power having gone through the hundred metre thick wall with no trouble**. Still, what's up with the Bankai? I thought everything was alike the Shikai, just bigger.**

_Well… in a way it is, right?_

**The hell? It's nothing like your Shikai!**

_Fine then, it's not. That's probably because of the newer power you've gained, it's not the same as my original power so there's going to be some differences._

**Hrm, but what is its name?** Yoshirou asked, trying to pick himself up, albeit unsuccessfully as he slipped down again.

_I don't know, you chose my name, but this new power isn't mine. Probably just calling it Tengoku no Shibou would do._

Smiling to himself, he tried to get up again, this time more successfully. Pulling his zanpakuto closer, he thought **But your not that zanpakuto, that's why I chose you rather than him… How about a new name?**

_*Sigh* while I'm happy that you regard my name more important than his, will this take as long as naming me originally did?_

Laughing as he wearily stood up, stumbling slightly, he thought **No, I got a decent idea already, I'll tell you next time.** Yoshirou took care to sheath his zanpakuto safely, not trusting his hurting limbs that much, before looked out the massive hole he had created, the sun filtering past the clouds outside. **Oh, Yoruichi is going to have my head for this mess…**

(1 Hour later Squad 1 Barracks)

"Yamamoto Sou-taichou may not be disturbed right now, unless there is an emergency to report Kenshin-Taichou."-Chojiro stated, standing to attention before the door to Yamamoto's quarters, barring Yoshirou's way. "Why this time?"-Yoshirou asked exaspertadly, pulling on his new robes slightly due to their stiffness. **Why do they never feel right straight from the cupboard?** Yoshirou thought off hand as Chojiro went through an elaborate explanation as to the exact reasons why he could not give permission to speak to the Sou Taichou, although he stopped exasperatedly as he realised his sole audience wasn't exactly listening. Coughing discreetly to get the captains attention back, no longer able to use disconcerting tones against an official superior, Chojiro stated-"He is in a important meeting regarding strategies for the upcoming-"

Suddenly he was cut off as the door was opened behind him, a nervous shinigami trying to get past. Chojiro spun about in annoyance as he spoke quietly with the newcomer, hushed tones hiding their words from Yoshirou. As he watched, Chojiro's posture changed again as he turned to address Yoshirou, stating-"Your attendance is required inside, the Sou Taichou will speak with you now." Chojiro stepped forward, turning as he politely held the door open for him. **Wow, I just realised how much I miss the old way he used to go at me…** Yoshirou thought as he stepped past the stiff lipped man.

As he stepped in, he stopped with surprise. One of the walls of his study had been taken over by some monstrous looking machine, a truly ugly creation. What was more surprising was that there was a screen embedded within whatever machine it was, displaying the familiar face that belonged to Urahara, eyes hidden by his hat as always. Inside the room itself, there was a nervous adjutant of some sort, with a patch on his uniform that suggested he was from the Bureau of technology. However, with a glance from the other man in the room, he quickly left the room. Standing in the middle of the room, cane in hand was the Sou Taichou himself.

Yoshirou stood silently for a fraction of a second, unsure of what to do. He hadn't expected anybody to be here except the Sou Taichou himself, having returned earlier this day according to what reports he heard back at his barracks. Now he was facing trying to explain himself in front of not only Yamamoto, but the shopkeeper who seemed to delight in seeing humorous situations too. "Ah, hello Yoshirou-san!"-a slightly distorted version of Urahara's voice called from some recess within the machine. Before Yoshirou could say anything, Urahara seemed to lose interest in him, his head turning slightly so the screen depicted him looking at Yamamoto. "Well, that's about all the luck we've had so far, Tessai has managed to locate two focus points that should be suitable for the operation, it shouldn't take long to set out the place for the other two."-Urahara stated in a very buissness like tone.

Yamamoto nodded slightly in return, having ignored Yoshirou's presence in the room entirely, much to his chagrin. "Good, as we discussed, we will have to align the Pillar array in synchrony within Soul Society, so the locations must be found quickly if we are to manage within two months." Urahara's head snapped up in surprise at that. "Yamamoto-san, I thought we were keeping that little opinion to ourselves."-Urahara said quietly, eyes now watching Yoshirou's expression. Yamamoto finally acknowledged Yoshirou's presence as he said-"We cannot afford to leave Yoshirou-taichou out of this information, since he will be involved in stabilizing the transfer operation."

**Eh?** Yoshirou wondered as Yamamoto turned to him, eyes opened properly which surprised Yoshirou. Normally, the Sou Taichou rarely bothered to keep his eyes fully opened unless he was talking of a serious matter, generally his eyes seemed shut from a non observant person's view. "Urahara Kisuke has notified me of a troubling potential problem."-Yamamoto stated. Yoshirou frowned slightly at hearing this, but Yamamoto continued, saying-"He is of the opinion that, although we initially predicted Aizen will make his move in four months time, when the Hougyoku is fully awakened, he plans to move a lot earlier than that." Yoshirou couldn't help but be shocked by that information. "Two months? That's very little time left."-Yoshirou said quietly, thinking to himself.

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow at his lack of panicking. "From your attitude, is it safe to assume you have finished completing your Bankai?"-Yamamoto asked, earning a surprised noise from the machine as Urahara heard his words. Yoshirou nodded, saying-"That's the main reason I was coming to see you." Yamamoto nodded, as he said-"That at least is one more concern addressed, but I doubt you will have sufficient time to learn how to use your Bankai properly." Yamamoto paused for a second, before turning back to the console, asking-"Urahara Kisuke, do you have any ways in which he may be able to perfect his Bankai in time for the war?" Yoshirou was surprised by the idea; he hadn't considered asking Urahara for ways to speed his progress up. However, Urahara was shaking his head on the monitor as he said-"I don't know of any viable means to help you there, sorry. I have a device to speed up gaining Bankai, but mastering it is another task altogether."

Yamamoto nodded, saying-"You are dismissed." As the screen turned off, the strange whirring from the ugly machine dying down, Yoshirou turned to speak to Yamamoto, but he was already leaving, simply stating-"Follow me." Yoshirou, surprised, followed the man as he left the room. After a short discussion with his Vice Captain, he continued to walk along the corridor, Yoshirou trailing behind him.

(20 Minutes later)

"Oh I don't like the look of this cave…"-Yoshirou said to himself as he followed Yamamoto. Surprisingly, the old man could walk at a fairly rapid pace despite the cane, his pace easily matching Yoshirou's normal pace even though he was taller than the Sou Taichou. They were within the first barracks still, but this was an area that he had never been near before, seemingly a cave, or more accurately a mine judging from the cart. Whatever it was, the wave of weakness that seemed to touch him just from looking at the cave startled him. He had regained the majority of his original reiatsu after resting slightly, something that surprised him, but he believed was tied to his Bankai again. As far as Taiyou had hesitantly tried to explain, it seemed his Bankai was something different from usual, it held an intensely concentrated amount of reiatsu in its core that derived from his own that collected from his spare reiatsu over time. He could also store reiatsu within the new unreleased form for using at another time.

It meant that while his Bankai did not have infinite energy, it didn't derive directly from his useable reiatsu. It would run out in usage, but for the moment his body couldn't put up with accessing it all at once anyway, his time limit was defined by his ability to endure the reiatsu than his exhaustion from its usage. However, even though his reiatsu was at its peak, the cave seemed to be affecting his reiatsu from even this distance. However, Yamamoto continued anyway, straight towards the cave without a hint of slowing. Cautiously, Yoshirou followed, noticing as his proximity to the cave increased, his reiatsu seemed to be affected worse. Once inside, his reiatsu acting up considerably, he realised exactly what the cave was. "Sekkiseki!"-Yoshirou noted with surprise as he touched the walls, feeling even the minute amounts of reiatsu within his hand reacting overtly to the contact.

"Yes, this is one of the original mines where the rock was taken from, thousands of years ago."-Yamamoto explained in gravely tones, before adding-"This was also the place where I trained Shunsui and Jyuushiro." **Those two?** Yoshirou wondered as Yamamoto followed a new path within the cave, the light limited to see by. Suddenly, the path opened up into a new cavern, seemingly abandoned compared to the mine mining route. Walking forward, Yamamoto seemed to pick a certain boulder. Yoshirou quickly realised his mistake as a canvas, covered with rock gravel and dust, was thrown away from an old crate. "Take one."-Yamamoto ordered as he walked away.

Confused, Yoshirou looked into the crate. Nestled at the bottom were several wooden training swords, varying from the normal Bokken to even some Shinai. Doing as ordered, he picked one of the swords that matched his own, before facing Yamamoto. Yamamoto was standing, resting slightly on his cane as he said-"As I said, once you gain your Bankai, your training will start with me. As you have already noticed, this cave is made of Sekkiseki stone, which will constantly break up and drain your reiatsu. This will help in learning to re-master your increased reiatsu, and hopefully increase your aptitude with your Bankai."

"Wait, Yamamoto-san, I thought I would be training with my Bankai?"-Yoshirou asked confused. Across the way, Yamamoto seemed to stare at him for a few seconds, before shaking his head. "So impatient, you're going to prove more difficult than my previous students." With that, he stopped balancing on his cane, lifting in slightly in readiness as he said-"We shall move onto the next step when you succeed in hitting me once with that sword you hold!" **Wait, he's using his cane against me?** Yoshirou thought in annoyance. Annoyed, he pulled on his reiatsu as he prepared to start, only to find it vanishing from his control. "Take your stance, Yoshirou Kenshin!"-Yamamoto suddenly announced as he closed the distance, moving with agility that belied his gnarled frame.

(2 hours later)

"That… bloody… stings…"-Yoshirou complained as he sat on a rock, well clear of the cave they had come from. He was nursing several new bruises, gained from the fight with Yamamoto. He had quickly discovered that he was unable to keep his reiatsu together long enough to use in combat, or to use kido, even his mental casting proving useless. Yamamoto himself was sitting on another boulder, his cane balancing him as it touched the floor, the wood that constructed it unmarred from the force that it had to be used to injure someone of Yoshirou's strength. Yamamoto had been seemingly unaffected by the Sekkiseki stone, his moves all accented by his reiatsu as he had easily proved faster and stronger then Yoshirou.

As the fight had gone on, Yoshirou had started to get a tiny amount of reiatsu under control, but it was far less than he was used to fighting with, his muscles sore as they lacked the energy needed to move at the force he was trying to make them move. Yamamoto had called an end to the training bout after noticing that Yoshirou's reiatsu levels were getting low. As such, he was now sitting with numerous bruises caused by Yamamoto's cane alone, while Yamamoto was completely untouched. **I suppose he isn't the Captain Commander for no reason** Yoshirou grudgingly admitted as he watched the old man, eyes closed peacefully as he listened to the nature about them, waiting on him seemingly.

"Yoshirou Kenshin, are you going to nurse those taps all day long?"-Yamamoto suddenly said, one eye opened slightly as it watched him. Hiding his annoyance out of respect for the man, Yoshirou stood up, ignoring the stabbing from where he had been smacked by the old mans cane. Yamamoto continued to watch him, before grunting slightly with approval. "This will be all for today, from today onwards, you are to report to this squad at exactly midday, prepared for training. I will accept no excuses and no complaints since you are now my student. I expect you to make better progress than you did today, if we keep going at this rate you won't be ready to use your Bankai by the time the war begins. Also…"

This time he turned his head fully to Yoshirou, before saying clearly-"I will not allow any distractions from your training, if you're other attachments start to interfere, you are going to end them." Yoshirou didn't exactly like the sound of that one; it seemed Yamamoto was meaning something specifically. "By that, I mean your relationships."-Yamamoto stated firmly. **Uh oh** Yoshirou thought, unsure of what was to come next. "I have been aware of certain rumours regarding another Captain and yourself. Normally, relationships between ranking officers and others are not advised, but between Captains it is especially not allowed. Considering the situation, starting a relationship prior to a war is especially wrong, you were wrong to even contemplate it."

"However, what has happened cannot be changed, so as long as you can prove this won't prove detrimental to your preparations for the upcoming war, then I shall say nothing."-Yamamoto said finally. **Dammit, another trap?** Yoshirou thought inside his head, although not really that annoyed. He knew what Yamamoto was getting at; he was using this as a reason to make Yoshirou commit to the training. Sighing, Yoshirou said-"Alright, I get it. So twelve sharp from now on then?" Yamamoto nodded, before Yoshirou vanished, using shunpo to leave.

* * *

**Yes, like I said it probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense... oh well! Chapter over, and starting from now I'm going to include hints as to what I have planned in later chapters in the upcoming chapters, conversations that take place elsewhere, mysterious plans brewing in Hueco Mundo, should prove interesting.**

* * *

SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP

Kira was walking along the outside paths of her Barracks in frustration, a newly bought camera hidden away in one of her robes pockets. **Why was I given this kind of task? Pictures of Taichou? How on earth do I get them?** She wondered, before an idea occurred to her. Walking over in the direction of the gardens, she remembered that Yoshirou often went there in his free time. While he spent most of his time just watching clouds and leaves, he sometimes fell asleep there as well, especially after his recent activity of training. Walking by the wall, she found she was in luck; he was seemingly conked out on the grass, his exhaustion having gotten the better of him**. Well, it's not revealing, but he does have a cute sleeping face, will that do?** Kira wondered as she quietly got closer to his sleeping form. However, just as she was about to take her camera out, a voice shouted over-"Kira-fukutaichou?"

Growling in frustration, she turned to talk to the lower seat shinigami who had called her, not realising that the shout had also woken Yoshirou. As she answered the shinigami's questions, he realised the time and quickly got up to head back into the barracks. After having finished giving the shinigami the instructions he had asked, Kira turned back to her Captains sleeping place, only to see a bare patch of grass where he had been. **Just my luck…**

Later on, Kira was stuck in her room, unsure of what to do now. She had failed in her first attempt, and it wasn't like she would have as much luck next time. Walking out of her room, she decided she would just go back to instructing the newer recruits again. However, as she went to walk into the training room, she found out she was in luck. In the centre of the room, Yoshirou was practicing his Hakuda forms, doing exaggeratedly slow moves in concentration as he tried to keep his pose correct each time. The lucky aspect was that not only had he removed his Haori, but he had pulled the top half of his robes down as well, his torso glistening with sweat from his exertion. **Perfect!** Kira thought as she quickly managed to get her camera out this time. Focusing the lens on Yoshirou, she didn't sense the presence of somebody approaching from behind.

"Kira-fukutaichou, what exactly are you doing?"-a familiar voice asked in curiosity, causing her to jump in surprise, accidentally pressing the camera shutter with the camera pointing rather than at her captain, at the floor. Turning, she spotted the twin's Haneko and Tansho watching her with curiosity. "N-nothing, I'm doing nothing!"-Kira quickly stuttered out, earning the simultaneous eyebrow raising from both shinigami. "A camera? What would you have one of those for?"-Haneko asked, causing Kira to quickly pull it behind her back out of sight. "It doesn't matter, I wasn't doing anything!"-Kira said desperately, before suddenly realising her hand was empty.

"Eh, Kira why do you have one of these?"-Yoshirou asked, looking at the offending article having abandoned his exercise. Kira cringed as Tansho said-"I may be mistaken, but I think she was trying to photograph you." "NO I WASN'T!"-Kira shouted back defensively, causing the collective men to jump in surprise at her sudden change in tone. "…Well, the only thing in here is a picture of the floor, so she mightn't have been after all…"-Yoshirou said as he handed the camera back. Kira snatched it from his hands before literally vanishing with shunpo, leaving the men watching after her in surprise. "Err, Taichou how did you know there was only a picture of the floor in there?"-Haneko asked curiously, at which rate Yoshirou was forced into explaining how modern camera's now played back images. (2)

**I had originally planned to include another attempt to get a photo, one involving trying to get one of him in the bath, but decided against it cause I didn't want my original charecter to seem, well perverted lol. Anyhow, more random fun next chapter!**

* * *

**(1) For those who forgot, this is copied from my old *Personal Information* section, regarding the Shikai Form of Taiyoukousen (Or Taiyou which I always shorten it to)-**

**The Shikai form is a large 2h sword, with the blade width far wider than average, 4 inches in either direction of the middle cut out. The blade is about 120cm (4ft) from guard to tip. The middle of the blade is missing, alongside with a circle cut out close to the hilt. The hilt itself has extended to more comfortably accommodate a 2h grip. The end of the hilt has a small chain attached to it, which has a sun symbol on the tag at the end of the small chain (imagine Tensa Zangetsu's chain, about that long). The edge of the blade is actually fairly blunt, with the central part of the blade having been cut out thinly. Instead, during combat a thin blade of light energy forms out of the edge, sharp enough to cut through anything except another zanpakuto, regardless of the strength of the opposition, barrier or material.**

**(2) If this was an anime, imagine Haneko pointing upwards at a thought cloud that showed an olden style camera, while Yoshirou is pointing at a thought cloud showing a digital camera.**


	18. Chapter 18

**God i'm being worked ragged with all these damn preparations, just a warning, theres going to be ever increasing delays in release times for these chapters.**

**Now, thanks to Kishi, I discovered my last chapter may have sounded a bit confusing, sorry I was suffering badly, man flu reared it's ugly head upon me.**

**Anyhow, to explain certain points now.**

**(1) First, the Bankai pose I talked about. Whenever somebody uses Bankai, they have a certain way of doing it. Ichigo stabs forward with zangetsu, its wrap curling about his arm while he uses his other arm to support it. Whenever Byakuya uses Bankai, he drops his zanpakuto through the ground. Unfortunatly they are the only two good examples, but I figured that I would do a dramatic release pose for my guy too. The whole thing was that he had to figure out how to channel his reiatsu best to use his Bankai, alike to how Ichigo has that pose with his arm.**

**(2) Then, there was the new training part, i've invented a new training area which is a cave naturally filled with Sekkiseki stone, the material that makesup the shrine of penitance where Rukia was kept. This stone naturally repels Reiatsu and makes it far harder to successfully draw upon, thus it's a way to train Yoshirou on how to do so.**

**Sorry if I caused confusion, I will try not to in future, but big thanks to Kishi on that! Remember, to anybody who reads this series, if you ever have any queries or confusion, don't hesitate to either message me about them, or leave a review, anonymous or not, that tells me what points need clarifying, i'm more than happy to take the time to clarify anything.**

**now on with the new chapter!**

* * *

A man walked along the empty corridors of the building he was in, his feet tapping out a staccato rhythm on the marble floor, thinking busily to himself, half of his mind focused upon the numerous experiments and concoctions he had brewing in his laboratory, the other half curious as to the sudden summons he had received. He had been busily working upon his research when the weak being had interrupted with the summons. He had half a mind to kill the man for interrupting him, but decided that he did not need open hostilities with the mans superior. Much as the superior treated the subordinate like scum, he would use any excuse to start a fight, his subordinates death would be perfect reason to try and take his head. **And to think all those years ago it was he who came crawling to me to sort his little conundrum with the female, and he would still just as happily take my head any day, not like he could but I don't need the trouble, I'm a scientist not a fighter.**

Once again this brought his thoughts back to why he was summoned. Usually if the shinigami had wanted something done, a subordinate would be sent with the information to him, it was very rare that he was summoned outside of their times when Aizen would call them all to one of his tea time meetings. **Tea time indeed** the pink haired arrancar thought. **More vicious power play battles are done in that room than the amount of experiments that I have ever done**. Looking up, he saw the massive double doors that lead into the heart of the castle. **Well, let the battle begin** the arrancar thought as he lightly pushed his hollow bone glasses up the ridge of his nose, walking through the door with his head lowered submissively. Walking forward, he kneeled down, head still lowered as he said-"I have come, Aizen-sama."

"Welcome, Szayel, raise your head that we may speak"-Aizen said calmly from surprisingly close to him. Szayel did as he was ordered, surprised to realise Aizen was not seated upon his usual throne, but instead was standing before it. He also realised they were not alone. As he expected, there were the two presences of the ex-captains nearby, but lurking in the shadow nearby was another presence, keeping out of his sight. Trying to ignore the last presence, Szayel asked-"What would you bid of me, Aizen-sama?" Aizen smiled at him, but did not answer. Just like Szayel figured, Tosen was the one who answered his inquiry. Whenever there was an official order given, it was usually delivered by the mouth of Tosen rather than Aizen. Szayel despised having to play along with these little routines Aizen seemed to stick to, but he daren't say anything against him.

"Aizen-sama's mission will involve you departing for the human realm at once as part of an operation…"

(Soul Society)

Yoshirou yawned with tiredness spontaneously as he returned to his barracks. It had already been two weeks since he had started his training with Yamamoto, and as annoying as it was, he was starting to see vast improvements in his endurance. It had only taken a couple of days to complete Yamamoto's first task, after which Yamamoto had moved onto using actual zanpakuto in serious fighting. He had found much to his frustration that although he could control his reiatsu in the new environment, channelling it into his zanpakuto was a whole other task, and one that left him massively outclassed in terms of power compared to the Sou Taichou, who was as unbending as iron in giving him a chance. However, he had a bigger problem.

A few days ago, he had found a rather unwanted visitor to his squad. It wasn't that he disliked her presence, but it was what she was after that was causing grievances. He had promised her brother that he wouldn't train her in Kido, to make sure that she wouldn't be included in the upcoming war. However, despite his best attempts to dissuade her, he would often find the young shinigami back again, pleading for him to train her. **God damn it, why doesn't Byakuya just deal with her?** Yoshirou wondered as he approached his squad, noticing the fluctuations in reiatsu nearby.

While she didn't press him when he refused to teach her, she had found a new way to put pressure on him, by taking residence within his squads grounds. He hadn't had the foresight to warn the rest of his squad about the warning from Byakuya, and having failed to gain him as a teacher, Rukia had turned to the next in line, his Vice Captain. Just as he suspected, the two were sparring with one another in the squad grounds, however there was a strange reiatsu with them this time. As he approached the open grounds they had chosen to spar at, he could feel the air turning colder about him. Sighing as he realised exactly what this meant, he wasn't overtly surprised to see a sudden pillar of ice spring up over the next mound.

**Does Kira realise entertaining our little guest is making a mess of the grounds? Yoshirou** wondered as he quickly walked up the earth mound in question, the ice pillar breaking with an almighty *CRACK* before him. Just as he guessed, the first person closest to him wasn't exactly a shinigami. Knees drawn up to her chin as she sat watching the match curiously below, the easily recognisable human stuck out like a sore thumb considering how she was probably the only person for miles not wearing robes. Walking over to the girl, Yoshirou asked-"So who's winning this time?" Inoue jumped in surprise, having either been focusing wholeheartedly on the fight, or being lost in a daydream. Judging from the expression on her face, Yoshirou guessed it was the latter. However, she was quickly returned back to her beaming smile as she recognised him. "Yoshirou-kun! It's good to see you!"-Inoue quickly said, laughing slightly at herself in embarrassment of being caught off hand.

"Nice to see you to, what exactly are you doing in Soul Society anyway?"-Yoshirou asked loudly as in the background, the roar of cast Hado started to drown out his words. **Please for gods sake don't say asking me for training, I can't take another person begging me… **Yoshirou internally pleaded as Inoue seemed to mull upon her answer. Trying to lean slightly closer, she responded in a loud voice-"Kuchiki-san said she would help me in trying to get stronger. I don't want to just be a burden for everyone, so I wanted to try and become maybe a little stronger. However…"-she suddenly left off, as she indicated the match going on before them. Yoshirou shook his head in disbelief at what Rukia had done again, not only bringing a human into Soul Society (**god knows how she got the permission for it…**) but saying she would train her when she was the one begging for instruction.

Turning his head to the fight below, he could see that yet again Rukia was on the losing path. The respective differences in fighting style left her at a disadvantage, since Kira not only had better immediate knowledge of offensive spells, but her Shikai was a unique ability boost/elemental type. It was nowhere near the same level as Yoshirou's shikai, but it was a combo that was hard to beat unless you were experienced enough. As much as Rukia excelled in mid range combat with her ice Shikai, Kira's speedy close range style was her ultimate foe. As he thought this, he was proved correct as within the gap after Rukia had finished casting a spell, she was caught off guard by Kira and sent flying into the air.

Skidding on the air to stop, breathing hard from exertion, Rukia took a strange stance with her Shikai, apparently causing plumes of ice to flow before her as she stabbed the air before her. **Byakuya was right, it's one beautiful ability that her zanpakuto has, almost artistic** Yoshirou thought as he watched her draw her Shikai back, shouting-"Hakuren!" However, the collection of lightning in Kira's hands as she finished chanting a spell told Yoshirou that he was about to watch something interesting. As the ice blast gathered at the tip of Rukia's shikai, Kira simultaneously pointed the blade of her armoured gauntlet shikai forward, channelling its electrical ability to its maximum as she shouted-"Hado no. 63, Raikoho!"

The combination of electrical Shikai and natural electric based Kido was surprisingly powerful to Yoshirou's senses, the attack roaring its trademark call as it flew the gap between fighters, aiming to meet with the channelled blast of ice from Rukia's Shikai. **Too bad, Rukia's lost again** Yoshirou noted as the two collided. At first it seemed like a stalemate between the two attacks, the ice flowing continuously from Rukia's shikai while the electrical storm seemed to flash back and forth from spell to Kira's blade point as rapid flashes of lightning. However, the ice started to be crushed back as the combined spell proved the stronger. Rukia was forced to abandon the assault, throwing herself away from the point of contact as the ice evaporated, the thunder spell screaming past her as she barely dodged it.

The opening that she left when she was forced to ditch the attack was the end, Kira used her shunpo to land directly where the rolling Rukia was about to pick herself up. With her gauntlet blade, still sparking with residue charge now pointed at a defenceless Rukia, it was clear the match was over. Rukia seemed to smile sadly at getting beaten again as both women sealed their zanpakuto's again, Kira laughing as she offered her hand to help Rukia up. "I guess that's three wins to me now!"-Kira exclaimed happily, completely oblivious to the fact that Rukia seemed less than satisfied with her loss. Yoshirou decided to announce himself by shouting up at the two-"Three wins against an unseated shinigami, something tells me my Vice Captains being a bit of a bully!"

"Taichou?"-Kira exclaimed in surprise, having missed his presence since she had been focusing on the fight. Rukia took advantage of the distraction to quickly sheath her zanpakuto, before frowning down at Yoshirou, obviously annoyed that she had more spectators to her defeat. "Then again, that's not as bad as me; I've just gotten out of my 12th arse kicking in a row."-Yoshirou said as the two shinigami dropped from the air, landing lightly on the grass. Inoue picked herself up from the grass as Rukia approached, probably intent to comfort the dejected friend. As the two talked, Yoshirou jerked his head in another direction, intoning that Kira should follow him away. As Kira stepped quietly in line with him, Yoshirou said-"Nice going by the way, when did you learn that spell?" Kira smiled brightly as she replied-"Tansho taught me it a week ago, but even he was surprised by the result. He thinks I have an affinity towards electric based Kido because of my zanpakuto."

Yoshirou nodded as he remembered what he just saw. He was able to channel all of his Kido through his zanpakuto, but that was just another personal skill to him, he hadn't seen others use the same technique since Haneko and Tansho had shown him the ability nearly a century ago. "Zaneishō, the ability to cast your Kido through your zanpakuto."(1)-Yoshirou muttered to himself. "Zaneishō?" Yoshirou heard an inquisitive voice ask from somewhere below his shoulder. **Ah crap!** Yoshirou thought as he realized that Rukia must have noticed their departure and eavesdropped on them. "Not something that needs to concern you."-Yoshirou said shortly as Inoue caught up with all three of them. Kira gave him a strange look from his curt tone, not something that she usually heard off of her Captain, but didn't ask.

Instead, Kira did the worst thing possible, and answered Rukia's inquisitiveness, saying-"It's a high level technique for controlling Kido, that ties into the elemental structure of a Shikai to empower the spell, it's how come I overpowered your technique so easily." Yoshirou sighed in defeat as Rukia's eyes lit up, having learnt something useful. "Kira, we're not supposed to be instructing her, and that technique is dangerous anyway, and useless for her."-Yoshirou stated, gaining a nasty look from Rukia. He corrected himself, saying-"You can't use it because your Shikai ability is Ice correct? There's only one Ice based Hado in existence, and it's far too high a level technique for you." Rukia exclaimed in disbelief, doubting his words. However, Yoshirou was being honest. **Hado no, 89. Hyōga Seiran, (2) it would take her over a century to learn that one **Yoshirou had mastered casting it, but the spell was far too unpredictable and uncontrollable. It was like letting loose a tidal wave; it could easily hit friend or foe, so he had already decided to not use it despite its awe inspiring power.

"Erm, what exactly are you all talking about?"-Inoue asked innocently, all of the words clearly going over her head. "Just shinigami stuff, don't worry about it."-Yoshirou said. However, Inoue smiled, saying-"Rukia was saying that she wanted to learn something from you, is that it?" Rukia replied for her, saying-"Not exactly, I respectfully asked Kenshin-taichou to instruct me, but he seems completely set against it." Yoshirou winced again at his official title, the act that Rukia was using it obviously a sign that she was annoyed with him. He quickly said-"Look, we've been through all of this already, Byakuya asked me not to instruct you, and you know he would take my head if I did."

"But, with all respect to nii-sama, I can't abide by that. You know exactly what's happening now, and we are all involved. I know nii-sama only wishes the best for me, but I want to fight as well."-Rukia replied firmly. **Here we go again…** Yoshirou thought. In all honesty, he thought Byakuya was being too stubborn over this. As far as Yoshirou figured, not training her was the worse option, since Rukia was hardly going to sit on the sidelines in the upcoming battle. Training her would increase her chances to survive, but on the flipside would also expose her to ever more dangerous foes. No matter what choice, it was going to end badly.

He had to admit if this kept in going, he was probably going to give in anyway. However, Inoue suddenly looked like she had an idea. "Yoshirou-kun! Yoshirou-kun!"-Inoue suddenly said excitedly, trying to get his attention. Yoshirou wearily turned around to speak to her, but nearly backed away after seeing the suspicious gleam in her eyes. "Yoshirou-kun, you probably should help Kuchiki-san with whatever she wants, you see, things tend to get ugly when she wants something."-Inoue said in a strange tone. Yoshirou guessed it was meant to be sinister, but coming from Inoue failed entirely. "Inoue!"-Rukia suddenly announced sharply, as if she understood her words, and didn't like what was about to come next.

Inoue ignored her however, intent on what she wanted to say. "You see, Kuchiki-san has a unique way of asking for what she needs, she starts being polite, then…"-Inoue said, mysteriously trailing off. Yoshirou, interested, guessed that going by what Inoue said, Rukia must still be trying to be polite with him. "Then things start happening! I saw it before, when she wanted Kurosaki-kun for something, he suddenly fell unconscious, really spooky!"-Inoue said spookily (3). Yoshirou went to give a disbelieving look at Rukia, but she had suddenly dashed the distance between them, grabbing Inoue to silence as her face was red with embarrassment. **What, she actually did attack Kurosaki to get something?** Yoshirou thought amused as Inoue broke away from Rukia's grip, comically berating Rukia for stopping her from trying to convince him.

As the two girls argued, Kira sidled up to Yoshirou, saying-"Taichou, are you really not going to help her then?" Yoshirou looked down at Kira's face, her features literally pleading him to do so. Either that or my guilty conscious is making me see that… Yoshirou thought as he drew a hand across his face lightly, trying to clear his head. Shaking his head, he turned to the two girls and said-"Fine, fine if it will get you to stop badgering me, I'll give you some pointers." Rukia instantly stopped their argument, smiling brightly as she realised she had managed to break his will into doing it. However, Yoshirou dramatically raised a finger up, saying-"However, pointers is all you get. Your training will have to be on your own. That way I'm not breaking what I promised Byakuya, got it?" Rukia's smile faltered for a second, but she nodded anyway.

**Jeez, she's more persistent than Kira **Yoshirou thought grudgingly as he said-"Right, I want you to show me what you can do in Kido, use any target you wish, I just need an idea of what your fully capable of."

(P.O.V change)

Syazel pushed up his glasses on his face in a hope to disguise the ghost image of surprise that had flitted across his face when Tosen had finished briefing him. However, it seemed that he hadn't been fast enough, as Aizen's voice asked-"Do you have anything you wish to ask?" Syazel hesitated for a second, questioning his superior would no doubt lead to death, but this situation would most likely have some leeway, so he should try. "I'm sorry, Aizen-sama, but I must ask what exactly would be the intended purpose of this… operation? I think I am most likely missing something because I cannot see any… tactical advantage this would give us above the shinigami. I believe this could relay our … my apologies, your intentions ahead of time." **Tch, calm down, think carefully!** Syazel reminded himself as Aizen raised an eyebrow at the tone used towards him.

However, Aizen smiled cryptically at the question, before replying-"My plan is not so easily read, Syazel, in it's forwardness is it's simplicity. This will all be a game to pass the time as the real plan is enacted. The purpose is simple, to give Soul Society something to watch, while our real plans are put in motion. There is no need for the operation to have tactical advantage, the rewards of the real plan will be sufficient enough. Does that answer your questions?" **Hardly, there are far too many missing pieces that your not telling me…** Syazel thought internally, but swallowed the thought, instead bowing respectfully as he answered-"Yes, Aizen-sama."

Aizen nodded as if this satisfied him, before turning back to his throne. Syazel took this as his cue to leave, and did so. However, no sooner than he left the throne room, his mind was afire with questions and postulated theories to their answers. **What is the real reason for this operation? He says a distraction but there must be more, preparation alone will take easily three weeks, and that's with my personal overseeing, there's no way this could simply be a distraction. What's more, **_**he's**_** included in this, I never expected that Aizen would risk **_**his**_** exposure before the start of the war. Even if the target is a Captain, any of the Espada could handle destroying a shinigami Captain, it is the reason why we were assembled, Ten Swords to slay Ten Guards. (4) I could probably handle a Captain myself, but to bring not only two Espada, but a failed Priveron and normal Arrancars as well? Aizen is mocking me if he thinks I will accept this so easily.**

As Szayel walked along, he decided to take a brief pause by the open area, the roof of the Las Noches dome pitifully shining it's pathetic excuse for a sky down upon the castle. As he leaned against the stone cast railing, he continued his train of thoughts. **…Perhaps he really is afraid of this target? He said that it would be an additional benefit if he died, but what if the true aim is rather than distraction, killing? There is no other reason why **_**he**_** would be coming, unless this is meant to be a trial of **_**his**_** capabilities? Also, Aizen cannot seriously think that the Captain would come to this trap alone? There would be no reason for a Captain to risk himself like that…or is this another reliance on the deceptions caused by the human heart that a shinigami has? Would a Captain walk into a trap even though he knows it, purely to protect his subordinates?**

That last idea made him laugh in contempt. Subordinates existed so that they could further the aim of their superiors, sacrificial parts to ensure success, tools, not something that should be protected. The very idea that the superior would sacrifice themselves for their subordinates was ludicrous to the scientist, the subordinates were the sacrifices, not the superiors. The trappings of the heart, what a waste of time, the lack of one is what makes a being truly strong. Without emotion, you have no inhibitions, no chains that hold you back. At least that was as far as Syazel believed.

**But…** Szayel thought as he steepled his fingers, resting his chin upon them. **This particular Captain is interesting. Now I consider it, that idiot Grimmjow was overpowered when they fought, losing his arm. For a shinigami, that would take some incredible power to manage, removing an Espada's arm in one single blow, and with only his *Shikai* form. This could prove interesting, I'm being given the chance to study**_** him**_** against one of Soul Societies finest, the research I could gain from this would be invaluable! Even if the preparation will be nothing short of tedious, the grand finale would be more than worth it! **Syazel smiled to himself, as he pulled lightly on one of his gloves. With a last contemptuous look at the disgusting facsimile of sky, he strode away down the corridors, intent on beginning preparations for the upcoming mission.

(P.O.V change)

Completely oblivious to plots being made elsewhere, Yoshirou finished his thoughts as Rukia stood wearily before him, having exhausted herself through constant Kido usage. Yoshirou had asked her to keep up the spell casting to gain an additional idea of her maximum capacity. What he had learnt surprised him, it seemed she had been taught literally only the academy basics. She definitely had a natural capacity for Kido, her ability to use Eisohaki on all of her spells proof of her practice, but she must have been restrained from learning anything after she graduated from the academy, her most powerful spell being Soukatsui. She also definitely had capacity to use stronger spells, far more than Yoshirou had anticipated; she was able to keep up a barrage of magic that would outdo many of the men in his own squad.

Yoshirou had also noticed another point; she had developed a Kido affinity. As far as he knew, when a shinigami used Kido, they naturally tended to become more skilled in a particular spell than any other. Yoshirou knew that Byakuya had two affinities, one in the Hado Byakurai, and another in the Bakudo Rikujokuro. He didn't realise he had affinities as well, but since his affinity was for all Kido, this was hard to notice. This was usually only developed over a lot of training, so either she had practiced like hellfire or she had a natural affinity. Surprisingly her affinity was the same as her strongest spell, she was easily able to control the Soukatsui spell above all of her other Kido.

Deciding on what to say, he finally spoke to the waiting girl, explaining-"Right, as far as I can tell, you have quite a large adaptability for Kido. You're equally skilled in offensive Hado and defensive Bakudo, up to what few spells you know." Yoshirou paused for a second, Rukia watching him intently before he turned to Kira, saying-"Kira, could you fetch a few scrolls from the Library for me? I'll need H-73, B-61…" Yoshirou trailed off as he considered whether or not to add the last idea to the list. **She probably could use it, but if Byakuya catches her practicing it, there's going to be no forgiveness, there's no way she could have learnt the technique without the scrolls kept here… **Kira watched him curiously, already quite surprised at the scrolls that he had listed. Both of them were instructions for mid to high level Kido, normally reserved for Vice Captain and Captain ranks. **…ah it doesn't really matter, lets see if she can use it** Yoshirou decided as he said-"And get the one for Nijū Eishō."

"Niju…Eisho?"-Rukia asked, still breathing hard from her exertions as Kira nodded, disappearing with shunpo. "Yeah, it's a rather high level technique, one that should prove as good homework for you since you seem so intent to annoy me for lessons. It's the ability to cast dual spells simultaneously, a strong technique that's used for spells that you need to chant for. It's not quite so useful in Eishohaki, where the chant is skipped, but when you want to combine effects from two spells into one, it's very useful."-Yoshirou explained, noticing the wide eyed look that Rukia gave him. Ignoring this, Yoshirou continued, saying-"Now, the two Kido that you're going to learn are chosen for certain reasons. First off, the Bakudo spell."

"As you already know, Rikujokuro is one of the more powerful restraining spells. It has a unique effect of fully binding your foe's body; muscles movement for the entire body is halted unless your foe is strong enough to overcome it. In fact in terms of restraint it has the greatest effect out of them all, if not the strongest."-Yoshirou explained, as he started gathering some of his reiatsu. Rukia lost the wide eyed look as she suddenly realized what was about to come next. Yoshirou had to congratulate her, she was quick on the uptake as she tried to jump away from him, but with a short laugh, he stabbed a finger forward and announced_-"Bakudo no. 61, Rikujokuro!"_ Rukia was caught in mid leap by the six bars of light, slamming into her body and causing her to tumble ungracefully to the ground. Spitting loose grass from her mouth, she started cursing and swearing in rapid succession at him before suddenly remembering she was actually speaking to a Captain.

"Wow, I'm pretty sure Byakuya doesn't know you tend to call your superiors Bastards."-Yoshirou laughed as he walked over, Inoue beating him to the downed girl as she started to panic. "Calm down, that wouldn't have hurt her."-Yoshirou assured the panicking girl as he lightly nudged Rukia's prone body with his foot, earning another curse from the annoyed shinigami. Sighing as he stepped away, he said-"Well, feeling it with your own body is worth a million words. You can tell how it's different now, right?" Rukia made some strange growl from the floor, but despite the exertion shown on her face, she could do nothing as Inoue tried to move her into a sitting position, doing her utmost best to avoid the massive sheets of light poking from the girl's body. Yoshirou sighed as he clicked his fingers, the spell dispersing from Rukia's torso, causing her a cry of discomfort as she fell back on the floor again, not expecting the sudden return of motion to her body.

Yoshirou smiled as Rukia tried to get up, pushing Inoue's hands away as she tried to help her. She quickly brushed the dirt and grass from her body, trying to make herself presentable, but couldn't help putting a rather annoyed expression on her face as she turned to Yoshirou. Wagging a finger at her, he said-"No complaints, this is just a little payback from the amount of time you've been badgering me for this help." Yoshirou then suddenly leapt away, getting some distance between himself and the pair. As he pulled his hands in close, he started to gather a larger amount of power, the faces of his audiences' changing to surprise as the air started to tense up from his raised reiatsu. Suddenly his hands started to blaze with blue light, streams of reiatsu seemingly flowing throughout the air, gathering all about his hands. "Now, this is the offensive spell!"-Yoshirou shouted over the strange noise the gathered reiatsu was causing. Pointing exactly away from the pair of astounded observers, he aimed his hands slightly upwards to make sure he didn't hit anything before announcing-_"Hado no. 73, Soren Soukatsui_!" With a load roar, the collected reiatsu flew forward, blue flames roaring outwards as he channelled the spell skywards. The attack coalesced as a concentrated spout of flames, guided by his reiatsu to a smaller surface area rather than blasting widely as he usually had it.

As the air settled, the flames dispersing in the ear, Yoshirou jumped a mile as he suddenly heard "Taichou!"-being shouted from behind him. Cursing internally for his cool moment being ruined, he turned about to see Kira staring disbelievingly at him. "What?"-Yoshirou asked as Kira was seemingly fuming before him. He had to quickly react as the scrolls were pushed at him, Kira saying annoyed-"I leave you alone a minute and you start trying to bring the barracks down!" "What? It was just an example for Rukia!"-Yoshirou hastily explained. Kira scowled slightly as she said-"You mean showing off! Just look at them!" Looking over where she was pointing, he realised the two observers had been knocked over seemingly, either bowled over by the display or knocked over by some other means. **Ah crap, I forgot to keep my reiatsu under control…** Yoshirou thought as he smiled sheepishly at his fuming Vice Captain.

"Owowow…"-Inoue trailed off from afar as Yoshirou ran over, trying to pick herself up from the grass. "Sorry…"-Yoshirou apologized as he helped her up. As Inoue straightened up, smiling as she said she was fine, Yoshirou stepped away, before suddenly felt a blow to his shin. Confused, he looked down to spot Rukia still sitting on the ground. Realising what she was getting at, he shook his head, saying-"Nope, I still don't feel like being considerate, you've been a pain in the ass for too long for me." Rukia's jaw literally dropped at his tone as he laughed from her expression. "All right, all right."-Yoshirou said, extending a hand after noticing the strange, almost demonic expression that flitted over the small shinigami. As he helped her up, he said-"Anyhow, that's Hado no. 73." After having straightened her uniform for a second time, Rukia turned to him, her expression neutral as she said-"It looks like it could be a good spell, but a level 73? That's far too high for me."

Yoshirou sighed slightly at her lack of confidence, before asking-"Have you ever heard of Kido affinity?" At the confused expression on her face, he said-"It's what happens when a shinigami gains a particular affinity with a spell. They become more easily able to use it, and to put much more power into the spell. This normally comes from huge practice to find out your natural affinity, so for you to be showing one means at least you don't slack on your training. Anyhow, I think yours lies in Soukatsui, as such it's possible that you would have an affinity towards the second stage spell, Soren Soukatsui. It's worth testing anyway."

"Anyways, think fast!"-Yoshirou announced as he threw the collected scrolls, Rukia having to quickly react to stop them from hitting the grass. Kira sighed with disbelief at the way he treated the scrolls as Yoshirou said-"Those should have enough information to get you started, but remember, that's all I'm doing for you, if I spot you bothering people around my barracks for training again I'll turf you out faster than you can say _Kido_!" Rukia laughed as she tried to get a better hold on the scrolls, happy that she had succeeded against him in the end. Turning to Inoue, she said-"I think I've overstayed my welcome, want to come to my squad barracks?" Inoue beamed as she finally realised the whole confusing confrontation was over, happily saying-"Yep!" as she followed her friend out of the barracks.

As the two girls quickly vanished out of sight, Yoshirou sighed as he realised that he was going to have to tell Byakuya about this. If he discovered it without him saying anything he might just be killed. "I'll probably be killed anyway…"-Yoshirou muttered to himself, before turning to Kira. "Kira, can you make arrangements for a funeral, I think I'll probably be dead before tonight."

(P.O.V change 10 minutes prior)

As Syazel left the throne room, the three men were left standing for a few seconds before Gin let out a big sigh of relief. "My my, th' tension alwa's ge's t' me when ya ha' a int'res'n plan goin' on, Aizen."-Gin said, rubbing the back of his neck as if to exagurate this fact. Aizen smiled as he took his place upon his throne, saying-"Szayel was always an interesting case, he's perhaps the least loyal of our followers, but still indispensible when it comes to interesting plans. I have no doubt he will try to stray from the plan to further his own research." Gin laughed at that, answering-"An tha's why ya lef' it so vague, righ' Aizen?" Nodding, Aizen explained-"If I told him that my plan involved marking the progress of our test subject, he would probably hide the true results from me, he believes he is getting the chance to observe perhaps the most interesting fight in his life, if he knew that was part of the plan, he would stray from what I need of him." Laughing again, Gin noted-"Scary, scary, th' way ya c'n jus' predic' ever'thin' is jus' beyon' normal"

Aizen ignored this comment, instead watching the shadows, where the fourth person had stood. Seeing his eyes upon him, the fourth man stepped out, scratching his head in boredom before making his leasurely way towards the centre of the room. Upon becoming the new focus of attention, he bowed to Aizen respectively, waiting on Aizen's words since he had been summoned here anyway. "Now, you know the true intentions of this façade."-Aizen stated, the arrancar before him nodding respectfully, but keeping quiet. Aizen continued, resting his chin on the back of his hand as he said-"As I have already explained to the other Espada, this is simply a side diversion to the real plan, but the part you play will still be valuable." The arrancar rubbed his neck as he said-"While it is a bit of a pain to leave for the real world, I am honoured that you trust me so, Aizen-sama."

Gin laughed softly to himself as he heard the arrancar's tone. He knew that out of all the arrancar, this was the only one who could get away with speaking in such a casual tone before Aizen. Out of all the Espada, his power was truly beyond belief. He was also perfect for this task, not only was a powerful fighter needed, but one who had less bloodthirsty intention would prove a better distraction. **Well, Barragan would just kill him and have it over with, but Aizen doesn't exactly want him dead…I think, and that Harribel wouldn't cut fighting in closed quarters, she's an outdoors type, so he's the last option. **Gin thought (5)

"So, are you ready to depart for the real world, Primera Coyote Starrk?"-Aizen asked as the Espada raised his head. With a sigh, he replied-"Yeah."

* * *

**Well, now things start to become interesting. I wanted to include Syazel for quite a while, he won't be taking a massive part in this, he;s more for observation and distraction, but he should prove to have an interesting part in the story. Readers probably guessed I was going to include Stark, but he should also prove a challange to do, because I have to try and carefully incorporate his lax style into anything he does.**

* * *

SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP

**Oh how did I mess up so badly?** Kira wondered as she sat in the water, waiting for everybody else. It seemed due to certain problems that other people had been suffering, the group had called an emergency meeting, although why it had been located at the local open air onsen was beyond her understanding. **Probably Matsumoto's idea…** Kira thought as she continued to mope about her failure. She had tried everything to try and get the photos of her Captain, but it never worked. Either somebody caught her, called her or Yoshirou himself had spotted her and caused her to miss the opportunity. He had even taken to deliberately using his reiatsu in his own quarters to flood the room with too much light, making it impossible to get photos of him inside his own rooms. How on earth he slept while the room was blazing with light was beyond her understanding, but he somehow managed it.

**What is taking everyone so long? **Kira wondered as she adjusted her towel, personal modesty needing that she wore it while in the pool. However, she was distracted by the sound of rustling from a nearby bush. **What the-** Kira started to wonder before she suddenly heard a high pitched, child like laugh. She suddenly felt a blow to the head as something collided with her, still laughing as it tried to keep ahold of Kira to balance herself. **Great, just who I wanted to see…** Kira thought as the girl balanced herself on Kira's shoulders, her light weight allowing her to get away with such silly acts of behaviour. Kira looked up as a face swung down over her head, child like features laughing as she said-"Hiya Marimo!" **Marimo?** Kira wondered as she suddenly felt the pressure on her shoulders increase as the child Vice Captain leapt, jumping over Kira and dive bombing into the water.

**She couldn't think of anything other than my hair colour…** Kira noted as the girl surfaced, splashing water all over Kira. "Yachiru-chan, cut it out!"-Kira complained as she tried to keep away from the water, not wanting to get her hair soaked. "Aww…"-Yachiru complained, before pulling a face, tongue poking out at Kira as she said-"You're no fun!" Kira sighed as Yachiru seemed to pause, thinking about something before suddenly laughing again. With yet another massive splash, she leapt clear of the water, shouting-"Stay there, Marimo!" Kira watched confused as the kid dashed back to the bushes she had come from. She disappeared for a few seconds, before running back, now carrying a camera. Before Kira could say anything, there was a big flash as she had her photo taken. "Hahahaha! Marimo in the springs picture!"-Yachiru happily announced before throwing the camera back at the bush.

"Why are you taking pictures of me?"-Kira asked, not concerned about the picture that was just taken since undoubtedly Yachiru's haphazard handling had probably broken the camera. Yachiru beamed happily as she said-"I got the pictures of Ken-chan but there was a lot more on the camera! So I want to take pictures of everyone instead!" Kira sighed at the girl's careless enthusiasm before saying-"Do you think you can get one of my Taichou then?" Yachiru stopped bouncing as she seemed to think, saying off hand-"Yoshi-kun?" However, she seemed to give up on thinking, saying-"I'll just get Ken-chan to chase him for a picture!" Kira laughed as she wondered how Yoshirou would react to the bloodthirsty Captain giving chase. Looking about the springs, she asked-"Yachiru, was the meeting really meant to be here?" Yachiru beamed again, saying-"Yep, big boobs said we should all come here! Even Ken-chan came with me!"

Kira sighed again, before suddenly realising what Yachiru said. "You brought…Zaraki-Taichou?"-she whispered, before glancing about in a hurry, scared about just what the little girl meant. "No no not in here! He didn't want to come in here for some reason!"-Yachiru announced. Kira breathed a sigh in relief at that, before asking-"So where is he waiting?" Yachiru pointed in reply towards the changing rooms.

Inside the changing room, Nanao was trying her best to not lose control of her temper. Everybody had come to conduct the emergency meeting here, only to find a rather unpleasant sight inside the changing rooms. Sat smack in the middle of the room, sword resting sheathed casually against his shoulder, with a face that suggested he was bored out of his brains, was the Captain of the 11th Squad. "Zaraki-taichou, for the last time will you respectfully leave this area!"-Nanao repeated for what had to be the hundredth time. She hadn't been the first to try and oust the man, a number of pool workers lying around him unconscious, apparently knocked flat by his reiatsu. Now, just about every member of the female shinigami association was all gathered in the room, trying their best to get the rebellious Captain to leave.

"I'm not moving; Yachiru said she'd be a minute, so I'm waiting for her."-Kenpachi casually said, letting loose a massive yawn that showed his fearsome teeth to the assembled women. Nanao tried her best to remain calm as she said-"So why not wait outside!" Kenpachi glanced up at her with his one eye, before saying-"She'll get lost if I move, so I'm waiting for her right here." Nanao literally growled with impatience. The only members of the group who could have moved him weren't present, Soi Fon-taichou refusing to come to an onsen for a meeting, Unohana-taichou called away on a medical emergency, and the Vice captain Zaraki was waiting on obviously waiting for them to come in.

"Come on girls, just ignore him and get changed!"-Matsumoto complained from somewhere near the back of the group, receiving disbelieving looks from all the women. "What? It's not like he even cares, he's borderline gay anyway."-Matsumoto pouted at the rest of the girls. "She means that he isn't interested in her."-Kiyone explained to her sister Isane, who was surprised by the comment, believing momentarily that the Captain was indeed gay. "And that does make him different! No man can resist my looks!"-Matsumoto argued in her defence. "I'll act like I didn't hear that, and you can live for a little while longer."-Kenpachi noted casually, making all the assembled women try and move further away from the intimidating man.

"Zaraki-taichou, will you please leave!"-Nanao shouted again, but once again falling on deaf ears, the Captain completely ignoring her. Suddenly, the door shot open behind him, revealing a diminutive figure in a childs bathing suit. Turning his head without moving his body, Kenpachi asked-"So are ya finished now, goofball?" Yachiru beamed as she shouted-"Ken-chan!" literally leaping as she grabbed his neck with both arms. It would have been an endearing sight, if it weren't for the hoard of woman looking on in disbelief and the fact that he was still in the woman's changing rooms.

"Yachiru-fukutaichou, why on earth did you bring Zaraki-taichou here!"-Nanao literally shouted in annoyance. Yachiru looked up at them, surprised to see so many of the group there. "Oh, so you meant the meeting was in the changing rooms!"-Yachiru said. Before Nanao could act upon her near murderous intent towards the Vice captain, Zaaki suddenly rose, the young girl still hanging off his neck looking like a fashion item. "We're leaving."-Zaraki simply said, the women practically throwing themselves out of the giant mans path as he strode out of the changing rooms, completely uncaring about the situation he had just been in. The woman could only watch, jaws dropped nearly to the floor as he strode out, his laughing Vice captain perched on his Haori still wearing her bathing suit.

* * *

**Meh, this one didn't sound as good as the other ones, perhaps i'll shorten the Golden Cup in future, and try to find more humerous pieces to work on. Oh well, seeya in the next Chapter!**

**(1) THIS IS NOT A REAL TECHNIQUE-Just thought I'd say it before anybody says it before me. It's an amalgamation of Zan from Zanpakuto and Zanjustu, meaning sword, and Eisho from Eishohaki, meaning incantation. Together, it means Sword Incantation, and isn't a real technique. However, the idea is both plausible and awesome, and technically it has been demonstrated by Hisagi, who cast a lightning Kido through his Shikai. In my story, it's strengthening a spell by casting it through the zanpakuto. Yoshirou often uses this with the Hado no. 91, since he finds it too difficult to control on his own. Kira uses it for electrical Hado, Tansho for ice Hado, Haneko for fire Hado and Yoshirou for light based Hado. I'm going to name it a Kido Corps secret technique to excuse its lack of presence in the main storyline.**

**(2) Again, another not real technique. It's actually filler arc stuff, Kouga Kuchiki's most powerful Hado. I numbered it as 89 due to the simple rule that Danku can block anything below 89, but this spell broke the barrier. There is no official 89, so this one gets the title.**

**(3) Okay this bit probably sucks, but at one point when Rukia wanted Ichigo to go with her, she started off politely, then when Ichigo went to refuse, she suddenly slugged him in the chest, knocking him out in one go, then comically dragging the unconscious Ichigo out of the classroom declaring that he was sick and she was going to take him to the infirmary, although nearly everybody there thought *She just punched him, didn't she?* Inoue was one of the few who obviously didn't see Rukia punching him, and I put it as her making her own idea about it up.**

**(4) Play on words, the Espada literally translates as Ten Swords. The Gotei 13 is short three traitor captains, bringing their number to Ten, so Ten Swords to slay Ten Guards, fun wordplay.**

**(5) I don't know if you noticed earlier, but whenever I depict Gins thoughts, their portrayed in normal style rather than his strange accent, it's just less of a headache to type, and less of a headache to read too.**


	19. Preview and Hiatus warning again

**Heyo, extremely short piece for today. Now, i'm afraid times up, this story is going on another hiatus. Not only am I struggling to get my idea's straight again, but i'm relocating to leeds to live alone from now on (leaving the home for University). As such, it's probably going to be quite a while until I can get settled in, so this could be a long Hiatus, sorry.**

**Anyhow, as the last bit that i'm going to write for a while, this is what I would call a Prelude to a Storm. This piece takes part three weeks after the last chapter, and regards the operation that is coming up. The timing is supposed to coincide with the Abduction of Orihime part, wherein Yoshirou will be involved in the real world at the same time as the whole assault upon the real world. However, his part should prove a bit more interesting than a simple fight, and will be including several members of the Kido Corps, not limited to the original 4 charecters. Hopefully i'm not aiming too high with this one, since it will be the first completely independant scenario I am writting, not involved with the main storyline.**

**Anyhow, heres the prelude text, and see you whenever I manage to get my head sorted out again (hopefully, should be within two weeks, but could be longer)**

* * *

Szayel felt extremely bored; there was no other way to put it. Just as he had been ordered, he went to the real world to begin preparations for this whole *distraction* operation, utilising his newest technology to artificially hide his own reiatsu and that of the pseudo arrancar and experiments that he deigned to call his subordinates. The work had been long and tiring, observing the construction of the facility had taken far too much time, and he sorely missed his laboratory, his mock construct proving far too inadequate to do any real research without specimens. (1)

That and the hunger that he felt was nothing short of nail bitingly frustrating. Since this whole operation was to be carried out in secret, he had been forced to sit within the human realm for far too long, where the air felt so thin of spiritual particles that at times he swore he could feel himself suffocating. The condensed spiritual power tablets that he had used to substitute attacking humans were crude, ineffective and completely nauseating, it went against his every instinct to just sit and chew on such disgusting items to slightly mitigate his hunger than to go out and attack every nearby soul he could find. He was half tempted to even consume some of his own subordinates, but that would only slow work further. His own men were also suffering, but their minor levels of reiatsu didn't need much reishi as his own body to sustain, and after he had mutilated the last arrancar that had gone rogue, attacking humans and nearly been caught by the shinigami forces, they learnt their place and kept far away from the nearby town.

As he stood by the tree's, he realised there was at least one perk to the human realm, the feeling of the wind. There was no wind, or storm or tempest to be even slightly blowing within Hueco Mundo, and to feel it upon his alabaster skin was refreshing, even if it wasn't enough to make him forget his ever increasing hunger. Still, it was far better than listening to the disgusting grunts and groans his men made as they continued to work upon the facility, taking far more time than usual due to his device limiting their ability to use their reiatsu. Nearby, he noticed two other individuals, and sighed to himself. He felt envious of the pair, their reiatsu so intensely strong that even three weeks of not consuming souls still hadn't diminished it by a fraction. While Starrk had been content to just sit in the tree's, sleeping rather than getting his hands dirty, his fraccion had other intentions. More than once, Szayel had been bugged for the special devices that he kept within his laboratory so that the girl fraccion could force the lazy Espada to go about the area with her.

As he contemplated the fraccion, he once again felt the urge coming on. He had always wanted to obtain the fraccion, the spiritual entity that somehow was part of the Espada's soul, and dissect her, find out how the two were connected, and to use her as a specimen for future experiments, but his natural fear of the almighty power that the Primera wielded making him keep his distance. He had found it easy enough to dismiss while in Hueco Mundo, his laboratory filled with enough specimens to keep him busy, but three pointless weeks of boredom, combined with her constant presence nearby had very nearly brought him to his limit. The only reason he hadn't made a move was simple, the equipment he had here wasn't sufficient enough to do a thorough examination. Shaking his head to dispel the primal urge, he turned away.

**Just a few more hours to go, and everything will be ready** Szayel reminded himself for easily the hundredth time within a few hours. He was getting sorely impatient, he had been forced to simply twiddle his thumbs during this time, and he wanted to get down to business right away. The facility was nearly ready, with all of his personalised equipment that would allow him total control of everything within, it just needed some more work added to its construction, then he could start moving the forces into the facility. **One grand trap for one measly Captain, I do hope this research is going to be worth my time** Szayel thought as he pulled on his glove slightly, adjusting where it had slipped from. **Just a few more hours, then the facility will be operational. I can distract myself with final preparations once it becomes operational until Soul Society notices it's presence.**

Syazel laughed quietly to himself as he considered how many diabolical mechanisms he had stored within the facility, devices all geared towards furthering his research and playing with his prey once they entered the trap. **Aizen made it clear how things are to be done, delay the actions of the Captain, do not directly engage myself. Anything else that enters the facility, I can kill at my own leisure.**

(3 Hours later, Soul Society)

Within the Squad 12 scientific research facility, everybody was supposed to be on high alert for any signals that could represent an assault upon the human realm. However, the scientists only really checked for reiatsu readings, signs that were a dead give away for the presence of an Espada. Nobody ever expected that they could be hidden, instead only looking for the obvious. Therefore, when a scientist checked the scanner and saw the presence of a hollow nest, it wasn't considered top priority. However, one scientist seemed to notice something.

"Hmm that's strange…"-the frog face attendant said, playing with a strange screw that seemed to extend his eyes out of his head, a rather creepy contraption that his work fellows had gotten used to over the decades. Nearby another researcher with horns on his head stopped in his tracks, asking-"What's strange Hiyosu?" Swivelling his seat about, the frog head said-"Look at these readings Akon." The man called Akon deposited the notes in his hands on a nearby desk before walking over to the desk. On the screen, there was a display of the forests about District 3600, where an abandoned Hollow nest had been found. Scratching his head, Akon said-"What's so strange? It's an empty hollow nest, just put out the mission orders for a squad member to go and scout it out." Hiyosu tried to say something again, but Akon had gotten bored of the subject, walking out. Turning back to the screen, Hiyosu tapped out the orders like Akon had suggested, but muttered all the while to himself-" But it was only just detected, the information only came in today, how come it wasn't detected while it was active but suddenly shows up when empty?" Clicking the send key, he closed the screen, saying-"I suppose it's not important, I'll just get in trouble for not finding it while it was active."


	20. Chapter 19

**Hello people, short chapter this time, i'm still kinda struggling to balance my new lifestyle and do this story. I now am soley responsible for everything in my place, cooking, cleaning, preparing, getting up on time, the entire lot. It's kinda hard to adjust to, as well as a nasty as hell timetable, and a half an hour UPHILL walk to my new Uni every morning. I'm practically hanging by a thread and suffering from sleep deprivation already.**

**Anyhow, *quit the bitching (mental note)* that's just a summary as to why this is abysmally short, and why release times are abysmally long. **

**As I was saying, this is just a continuation from last time, so it should be interesting enough.**

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"Eliminated?"-Hiyosu said in disbelief, jaw dropped in shock. He and Akon were both watching the screen, showing nothing but static. The screen had been a connection to the shinigami patrol that had been sent to investigate the abandoned Hollow nest, although now it showed nothing except black and white patterns showing the loss of connection. However, what they had seen on the screen seconds before they had lost connection chilled their blood. It had seemed like just a routine search, the whole nest seemed abandoned just as the computer assembly had predicted. The squad had done a regulation sweep of the entire nest, discovering much to nobodies surprise no presence whatsoever. However, just as the team had prepared to leave, the computer display across the laboratory went crazy, detecting a large spike in reiatsu within the nest. Suddenly, the screen was full of motion as the team retreated, trying their best to not be overwhelmed by the sudden swarm of Hollow, their shouts and screams combining with the screeches from the attacking Hollows. The last sight that they had seen was when the shinigami had looked back into the tunnel, a massive hollow mask literally covering the entrance they had come from, before red filled the entire screen.

"C-Cero!"-Hiyosu had stuttered, Akon remaining silent as he couldn't speak. Within a second, the reiatsu had engulfed three members of the four man squad, before the last man, the one closest to the exit was caught, the camera destroyed by the Cero. After that, as the two men sat reeling in their seats, the computer blared louder as ever more presences were detected. Akon finally managed to utter the word he had been stuck on, ever since he had seen the massive mask-"G-Gillian…" The room was filled with silence, only punctuated by the klaxon from the computer as a third researcher walked in, oblivious to the situation. Seeing his fellow researchers frozen, he asked-"What's wrong everyone?"

That was enough to break the inaction, as Hiyosu suddenly started hammering on the computer, running calculations as he muttered half phrases the others were unable to hear. Akon turned and shouted back-"Rin, notify Kurotsuchi-Taichou immediately, emergency hollow presence located nearby District 3600!" Rin jumped back with surprise as the Hiyosu shouted back-"Class B-2, immanent large attack risk!" Rin nearly fell over backwards with a cry, while they had been posted here to detect the presence of Arrancar within the real world, there had been no warning that they would be detecting any large assaults from the hollows on top of that. "Hiyosu, have you got the numbers!"-Akon asked as he checked over another nearby terminal, Rin running out of the room clumsily to fulfil his orders. Hiyosu played with his eye screw again as he checked the readings, muttering-"sixty…seventy… no more, I'd say at least a hundred! And more than just one Gillian at that! It could be as many as five or more!"

Akon cursed to himself as he pulled up a topographical chart of the nearby district, saying-"It has to be underground then, there's no way a hollow nest like that could fit Gillian if it's only the size we can see above ground." A rapid set of clicks upon the console later, and the screen showed an estimate of the potential area the nest could cover. Akon tapped in the new data, and watched as the potential layout increased further. "Damn, why now? How could we have missed something like this!"-Akon said to himself. Hiyosu also wondered the same, and also how come the readings had only been detected moments before the search squad had left the nest. "It's almost as if they somehow deluded the scanners, either that or they all appeared simultaneously…"-Hiyosu mumbled to himself. A thought occurred to him, and he opened a new window on his console, running a cross diagnostic for previous occurrences of this situation.

However, as he said this, he realised something was going on. "…Akon, they're…retreating?"-Hiyosu asked, surprised that rather than spilling out of the nest in a colossal wave, the Hollow retreated further back into the nest, no longer hidden from the detection array, but clearly retreating further underground. Akon exclaimed with surprise after seeing the display for himself. "But, Hollow don't retreat, they hunt for souls the moment they appear in the human world… what is going on here?"-Akon whispered. "Does it matter? This is our chance; we can set up the Spacial freeze before the area they cover gets too large!"-Hiyosu stated as he quickly tapped out the commands that he outlined. Akon paused for a second, rubbing his temples slightly now they were no longer under the threat of an immanent massive invasion. "It just doesn't add up, first an attack that comes out of nowhere, then they retreat just as fast. Hollows don't have strategies, their simple minded creatures with an instinct to feed, just what is going on here?"

"Interesting, so Aizen is making his move earlier than predicted?"-a sinister voice said behind him. Recognising the voice, the two men snapped to attention as they addressed their superior. "K-Kurotsuchi-Taichou, it seems to be a large outbreak of Hollow, with-." "I KNOW THAT ALREADY IDIOT!"-Mayuri screeched, angry that his thoughts were interrupted, causing the men to cower away. Regaining his tempter, Mayuri stated-"This is too convenient, an incursion that we detect early? Hidden close to Karakura, but far enough away that a battle won't involve the town?" As he looked at the consoles flashing before him, the painted man pulled off a seriously scary smile as he chuckled creepily, metaphorically asking-"Aizen, what are you doing now?"

(1st Squad Barracks)

"Really, why do we have to be the ones to fetch Yama-jii and our cute Kido Captain?"-Kyoraku whined jokingly as he walked along the nostalgic path that he hadn't taken for nearly five centuries, his friend and fellow Captain matching his pace beside him. "Well, we can go into the cave easily compared to most, and we just happened to be the closest I suppose."-Ukitake said jovially, trying to hide his excitement at the prospect of what they were about to find. They had known weeks before Yoshirou's training had begun what the Sou Taichou had planned for him, so the prospect of seeing how the training was preceding was an interesting prospect. He knew that Kyoraku was burning with the same curiosity, but his clever personality made it easier for him to hide his concerns and emotions than Juushiro could. "So, what do you think Mayuri has cooking up this time?"-Kyoraku asked as they strolled. Juushirou could only shrug, he was just as clueless as to why the Captain had requested an audience with the two men, Mayuri was another man who was hard to figure out, a man who he had decided years before to not try a friendly approach with, seeing as how those who had tried invariably ended up as one of his experiments.

Kyoraku shook his head wearily with mock frustration, he wasn't interested in the machinations of Mayuri, but he was curious as to why they would require the presence of the Sou taichou to straighten out. He also had another set of concerns that he wanted addressed, especially regarding the Kido Corps Captain, questions only the Sou Taichou would know the answer to. "Ah well, I'm sure if we go along with it, we'll find out soon enough"-Kyoraku joked as they entered the cave, lowering his reiatsu subconsciously as he went. Beside him, Juushiro laughed as he replied-"You mean you plan to eavesdrop on their meeting!" Kyoraku looked at his friend with a pained expression as he said-"How could you accuse me of that!", earning more laughter from Ukitake as he said-"But that's exactly what your planning!" Kyoraku raised his hands up in mock surrender as they entered the first cavern within the caves. "Oh, not here? Yama-jii, where are yooooooou?"-Kyoraku said, deliberately throwing his voice across the cavern, making the entire cave reverberate with his voice. "Kyoraku, could you stop that?"-Ukitake said as he raised a hand to his head, making Kyoraku stop instantly as he turned sharply to his friend.

"What's wrong, sickness acting up?"-Kyoraku asked seriously. "No, it's just that's a rather childish thing for you to be doing."-Ukitake replied, rubbing a temple as if to try and soothe a headache. Kyoraku cried out, saying-"And I was actually concerned! You really hurt my feelings there!" Juushiro laughed, smiling as he said-"Sorry, but that was too childish even for you!" Kyoraku pulled a face at him, before laughing himself. Turning about, he stopped laughing as he said-"So, deeper in then?"

(20 minutes later)

"You holding up alright there, Casanova?"-Kyoraku asked as they passed yet another massive stalactite, Ukitake's pace having slowed considerably since they had started. They had already passed through several increasingly large caverns on their quest to discover just how far in the two men they seeked were, and even Kyoraku was starting to feel the effects of the entire mountain of Sekisekki stone about them. "…hrm, oh yeah, I'm fine don't worry."-Ukitake reassured him, although his slightly strained smile signified otherwise. Kyoraku considered telling him to return, but he didn't want to hurt Ukitake's feelings, so he just said-"Well, we can't be too far now. I'm surprised they are in so deep, their training hasn't even lasted a full month and Yama-jii has moved to the deep catacombs already."

Ukitake didn't reply, instead looking at the cavern all about them. There was a significant amount of damage inflicted upon the caverns, and what had surprised him at the more recent areas was the trace's of ash, the air laced with traces of the burnt material, this being what was causing him more trouble than the cavern's stone effect, since he was having trouble catching his breath. The levels that they had been through would mean that the Sou Taichou had definitely at least released his sword within these caverns, reducing several parts of the caverns into pure ash, regardless of whether these stones repelled reiatsu, they would never survive being bathed in the fires of Ryuujin Jakka. Either that, or Yoshirou has developed a technique capable of matching the damage, and reduced the cavern himself Ukitake thought, although he doubted that to be the case, seeing as how the Captains affinity was light based abilities.

Suddenly, Kyoraku raised a hand to catch Ukitake's attention, whispering-"Can you hear that, Ukitake?" Ukitake frowned slightly, before closing his eyes concentrating hard. It didn't take too long to pinpoint, the sound of some kind of metal clashing coming from deeper within the cave network. Opening his eyes slowly, he said-"Yeah, swords?" Kyoraku sucked his teeth, before saying-"Most likely, I think we just found our boy and his teacher." With that, Kyoraku marched onwards, heading roughly in the direction of the noise, the dim light from that direction taking a slightly different colour than the nearby area. Ukitake stopped for a second to catch his breath, watching Kyoraku disappear into another opening nearby before following himself.

The moment he passed the entrance to the cavern, he nearly collapsed; Kyoraku's quickly reaching arms being the only thing that stabilized him. "What the…"-Ukitake said, feeling the pure heat of the cavern as if it was trying to set him ablaze, his own senses overwhelmed by the sudden increase in ambient reiatsu. He realised that they had found their targets, the strange light focused in the middle of the catacomb, the light being from two sources combined, two figures enshrouded in massive clouds of energy and light, one blazing orange and red, another radiating yellow and gold, the light too fierce to get a definite look at either being.

"Ukitake, get ahold of yourself!"-Kyoraku said urgently, trying to wake him from the daze that had settled from being engulfed with the reiatsu in the room. If anything, the reiatsu was more than he had ever felt from Yamamoto, even with the reducing effects from the Sekkiseki stone. There was no mistaking the reiatsu in the room, Ryujjin Jakka's effects were too prominent for it to be anything else, but it's magnitude was far more than he had ever felt before. As he finally managed to get his senses in line, the wind within the cavern picked up again as both figures clashed, the pure concentration of reiatsu about them making it impossible to discern the fighters, the lights and energies from their zanpakuto's intermixing as each one fought for supremacy.

"Well well, I didn't expect to be seeing this."-Kyoraku noted as he braced himself off a rock, his body having withstood the reiatsu pressure better than Ukitake's weaker body. "To think Yama-jii is fighting with his Shikai, even if Yoshirou's got his Bankai in effect, that's still amazing if they're an even match." Ukitake gasped in surprise at this, although his mind had already told him it was the case, to hear Kyoraku say it plainly brought it home, Yoshirou was matched against Yamamoto. "That's impossible though! Even you and I together can barely match Genryuusai-sensei, how can he manage alone!"-Ukitake gasped as the room filled with deafening crashes as blades swung again and again within the middle of the cyclone of reiatsu and fire. Kyoraku laughed as he said-"Well, if I remember right, little Yoshirou could tune off Yama-jii's fire to begin with, so it's just down to his Bankai being able to increase his physical prowess to match Yama-jii."

**That's easy to say, but Genryuusai-sensei is no push over in physical** might Ukitake thought as the cyclone before them increased ever further in intensity, the air whipped even faster by the speed of the blows within, the sounds now intermixing with noises like smashing rocks as the fighters within changed fighting styles, relying on fists with swords. **Even if a Bankai increases physical prowess, theres no way it could match the Sou Taichou without a penalty in another skill, it defies understanding! **Suddenly, there was an earth shattering crack within the tornado, the tornado practically exploding within the middle of the cavern, debris scattering everywhere. The figures split up, one remaining within the centre of the chamber as the other was sent flying, having received the almighty blow the two Captains had heard, the figure smashing into the cavern wall and practically disappearing with the force it had hit, the solid wall of rock not being strong enough to cushion the impact.

Kyoraku straightened his hat, as he said-"Well, best go see if he's still conscious then." Ukitake nodded in agreement as he stood up, the reiatsu within the centre of the room now funnelling the dust and ash about the centre, concealing the figure within. As Ukitake approached the centre of the cave to address the Sou Taichou, Kyoraku went to the cavern wall, hoping to see the condition of Yoshirou. However, Ukitake was shocked as he watched the shadow within the whipped up ash collapse, barely holding itself up upon the shadow of a zanpakuto. "Genryuusai-sensei!"-Ukitake said in shock, pushing through the ash to the figure within. However, what shock he had seen at watching the shadow collapse was further increased when he reached the centre of the cloud, where the air was calm like in the centre of a hurricane. Kneeling before him, barely supporting his figure upon his zanpakuto which was dug deep into the ground, now resealed, the man himself panting deeply for breath, was Yoshirou.

Ukitake's eyes opened further with shock, understanding what this meant. "Im-impossible…"-Ukitake could only whisper in a strained voice, completely ignored by the Kido captain who was seemingly struggling to remain conscious himself. Behind him, Ukitake suddenly heard a deep roar, as he saw Kyoraku leap away from the hole in the cavern wall, fire erupting from deep within, melting the new passage as its inhabitant walked back out. As the figure came out, surrounded by roaring fire, barely marked from the impact he had just taken, was the Sou Taichou. Kyoraku and Ukitake had automatically assumed the Sou Taichou had overpowered Yoshirou, sending him into the wall, but they were wrong, Yoshirou having been the one who bested Yamamoto in the last exchange.

"Good! You're finally getting control of the power, but it seems you've spent it all now."-Yamamoto announced as the fire about him vanished, he having swiftly sheathed his zanpakuto away. He then glanced about in some surprise at the additional presences in the room, both of his former students watching him with shock in their expressions. "Juushiro, Shunsui, why have you disturbed us?"-Yamamoto asked, his expression once again its placid mask, despite the thunderous fight he had just been through, his breathing as neutral as always, despite Yoshirou's rather obvious gasping for breath behind them. Ukitake breathed a sigh of relief, immediately wishing he hadn't. He felt as though he had just been relieved that he hadn't been outstripped as easily as he thought he had been, and felt guilty for the thought. Kyoraku covered for his lack of attention as he said-"Sorry to disturb your lil warm up, Yama-jii, but apparently there's something going on upstairs that needs your attention."

Yamamoto's eye opened slightly, curious as to what would have required that he be disturbed. Behind the three men, Yoshirou seemingly managed to recover his strength, standing back up, albeit with a bit of unsure swaying. Ukitake, hearing the crunching behind him, turned to help him while Kyoraku walked closer to Yamamoto. As he got closer, he lowered his voice so that the other two couldn't hear him, saying quietly-"Yama-jii, is there something you've been neglecting to tell us?" Yamamoto gave the man a look that nearly made him cringe and beg for apology on the spot, but Kyoraku mustered his resolve and kept eye contact with the old man. Yamamoto's facial expressions didn't change, instead he turned to exit. However, as he started to walk away, he quietly growled, in a tone so quiet even Kyoraku had to strain to hear it-"I have no need to tell you what you already know, Yami."

Kyoraku sagged at hearing this, muttering-"So it is that way." The mention of his old family name was more than enough to confirm his suspicions. However, quelling the thought for now, he turned to Ukitake who was still trying to steady Yoshirou. "C'mon you two, lets get out of here."-Kyoraku said, grabbing Yoshirous other arm despite the Captains complaints that he didn't need any help, and with Ukitake supporting the other, they made the slow ascent out of the caves following the Sou Taichou's disappearing presence.

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**Well, that's all, cya next time where it will hopefully be better!**

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Yoshirou was walking along the main street of Rukongai, browsing at the little peddlar stalls in boredom. He hadn't been able to do his usual training because the Sou Taichou had once again vanished into the real world on one of his *meetings*, leaving him with nothing to do for a while. He had gotten bored of working over his Kido with no strong enough person to test it on, so had decided to spend the day walking about Rukongai. It had been fine enough, the weather being nice as usual, but there wasn't anything exciting. As he thought this, he laughed internally, thinking how his perspective had changed recently, whereas he would have been happy to have nothing to do in the past, now he was frustrated that he had nothing to do. However, his peaceful, slightly bored meandering was ruined with one thunderous shout.

"OI YOSHIROU!"-a voice thundered from a ways back. Yoshirou's hairs instantly went on end, there was only one person in Seireitei who could do that trick so easily with his mere presence, his mere shouting. Yoshirou knew he had been lucky so far, believing that his new title as Captain would make him immune to the attention of this particular person. However, he couldn't help but think his luck had run out as he sharply turned in the direction the shout had come from. Now usually, Yoshirou would calmly think the situation through and choose the best course of action from that. However, as the giant of a man suddenly charged along the main street straight at him, looking for all the world like a speeding train, his mind went straight into panic.

Yoshirou ran for it, the store owner who had been watching him hoping for a purchase looking at the fleeing man with confusion. He knew the whole importance of the powers of the Captain, so whatever could make a Captain run for his life must have been incredible. He barely managed to turn, trying to see what it was, before his entire rickety stall was up ended, various items going flying as the giant man ran past him, his wake so strong that the wind blew everybody back as he thundered after the fast disappearing Captain.

"Wh-What the hell!"-Yoshirou shouted, his mind panicking as he watched the giant bloodthirsty captain match his speed with ease, his shunpo unable to outmatch the pure leg strength that Kenpachi bound after him with, shouting-"GET BACK HERE, YOSHIROU!" Fearing he was about to be overtaken, Yoshirou smoothly vaulted over the ten foot high wall beside him, remembering that Kenpachi was horrible at directions. However, the Captain didn't let the wall slow him in the slightest, he didn't even try leaping it, he just barrelled straight through it, shouting at Yoshirou to stop again. **How in hell do I get away from him**! Yoshirou panicked, leaping from rafter to rafter, over houses and walls, the 11th Squad captain completely ignoring anything in his path as he reduced walls to rubble in his pursuit, obviously having learnt that keeping his eye on the target was easier than trying to hunt them through the streets.

_Well, why don't you try stopping and seeing what he wants?_

**Isn't it obvious, he wants a fight**! Yoshirou mentally shouted back, before suddenly slipping. He realised that Kenpachi must have gotten ahead of him in that instant, reducing the wall he had leapt on and causing him to fall. Cursing, he braced off of a chunk of the falling wall, backflipping away in the opposite direction of the Captain. "STOP RUNNING!"-Kenpachi thundered back at him, his insane grin at the challenge he was being given at ends with his tone**. What the fuck, he's enjoying chasing me down! **Yoshirou realised as he landed on the nearby roof, running across the slates.

_I still think you should try stopping_

**Can you stop distracting me?** Yoshirou shouted, before having an idea. He quickly cast his Haori off, before diving back to the streets, trying to disappear among the shinigami below. He quickly sidled through them, trying to make his escape, however, Kenpachi followed in the same general direction. Instantly, everybody panicked, trying to get out of the way of the thundering Captain. Yoshirou followed suit, pressing himself against the walls as the captain thundered past him, shouting "GET BACK HERE!" As he stood beside the wall, he watched the cloud that represented the Captain's presence disappear ahead of them, the shinigami once again taking to the main road now the 11th division hurricane had passed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yoshirou followed suit. However, he suddenly heard a noise that made his heart nearly stop. *JINGLE*. **Oh shit, he's right behind me isn't he? **Yoshirou mentally thought in desperation, recognising the characteristic noise from Kenpachi's bells.

_You forgot, general Shinigami don't have sleeveless Kosode, you, in your infinite wisdom, thought it would *look cool* to rip your sleeves off._

**Please, if your going to be condescending to me, can it wait until my life isn't at risk?** Yoshirou asked as he instantly plunged a hand down to the earth, red smoke exploding from under his hand as he activated a spell to hide him. He almost thought he had a chance to escape, but a massive hand suddenly grasped his scalp, Kenpachi completely unfazed by the distraction Kido, his attention completely on his now captured target. "Well, looks like I finally caught ya!"-Kenpachi said in a voice that froze his blood in his veins. Yoshirou sighed in defeat, realising that his only choice now was to fight the Captain.

"Yep, we got him now! Thanks Kenny!"-an excited voice said from somewhere behind Kenpachi. Yachiru? Yoshirou wondered before he was suddenly blinded by a flash. Trying to clear his eyes, he suddenly realised Kenpachi had let go of his head, Yachiru dancing about with a little camera in his hands, singing-"I got Yoshi-kun, I got Yoshi-kun!" Yoshirou was at a loss for words, before suddenly realising something. Kenpachi didn't have his usual bloodthirsty battle aura about him, it hadn't been present since the start.

_See, I told you, you should just see what he wanted._

**What, all they wanted was a photo?** Yoshirou thought, sighing as he let his muscles relax. Kenpachi grunted, his attention no longer even on Yoshirou as he said-"Ya got what ya wanted, ya happy now?" Yachiru beamed from somewhere near the floor, the girl absolutely tiny compared to the two tall Captains. "Yep, just got to get Wan-Wan and Byakushi and that's everyone!" Yoshirou sighed, wondering whether the other two targets would be able to remain more composed than he did. He turned to leave, but Yachiru suddenly uttered a cry. "Oh no! Nana said it had to be revealing pictures!" Yoshirou definitely didn't like the way that sounded as Kenpachi said-"What?" Yoshirou started to try his escape, but a hand shot out again, grabbing his head as Kenpachi said-"What do ya mean by revealing?"

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**0.0 that is definately not an enviable position to be in. Anyhow, seeya all next time!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Hello guys, damn i'm sorry about the massive hiatus, but i'm afraid this is going to be the approximate release times for future chapters, if any at all. I seriously underestimated my workload for my Uni, I am having to work all kinds of stupid hours to get any work done, even writing this story was reduced to the odd few minutes on the odd day. Also, the story is going to sound kinda fragmented, i'm used to writing massive chunks in one day, not half a paragraph per day, so the story is going to seem a bit fragmented for a while, please bear with it until I can put up with my ABSOLUTLY STUPID amounts of work i've gotta do.**

**Anyhow, whinge and whine over, your hear to read a chapter, so a chapter is what you get, read on and enjoy!**

**Also, thanks to Ranna Rai for joining the fanclub and the nice review!**

* * *

"So, you guys have any idea what this is about?"-Yoshirou quietly asked the two Captains flanking him. He had barely been able to recover for about an hour after his training session before he had discovered there had been yet another Captains assembly called. He had been surprised to find the two Captains interrupting his training down in the caverns, and even more surprised when he realised that whatever they had come for had spurred the Sou Taichou to end the training early. He was also grateful to them, if he had kept fighting much further, he would have probably ended up with several new injuries added to the frightful long list that he had accumulated over the weeks, Yamamoto having discovered that no matter how much he beat him, Yoshirou always turned up for the next session fully healed.

**Gaining the ability to heal myself that fast has only caused me more nightmares than it helped **Yoshirou whined internally at the thought. He was glad that his training was proceeding, but when he had to spend nearly every afternoon mending whichever bones Yamamoto had cracked or broken with his fists in their training, it sometimes seemed like it wasn't worth the amount of pain he kept having to go through. **By god can that old guy fight, he's a monster, incomparable to anything I've faced before** Yoshirou thought, thinking how the blows he had suffered at the hands of the Espada had paled in impact to the gnarled fists of the old man, strong enough to pulverise rocks to dust. Back in the hall, he was still confused as to why there had been a meeting called with the other Captains. "I think it's got something to do with Mayuri-chan over there."-Kyoraku joked quietly, Yoshirou barely managing to restrain his laughter at the name Kyoraku used.

If the Captain had heard the unusual nickname, he must have had nerves of steel to ignore it, either that or he was far too distracted in his thoughts, seeing as how Mayuri's face didn't change at all, noangry response to the slur at his name. If anything, Mayuri seemed to be in an over joyous mood, something that instantly put Yoshirou on alert, Mayuri happy never pended anything good. Nearby, Komamura arrived at the halls, silently walking in with barely a whisper of presence, an astounding feet for a giant anthropomorphic wolf. Yoshirou watched off hand as the giant captain took his place along the lines. Only a few more to go Yoshirou thought, wondering just how long it would take for Kenpachi to arrive this time, the bloodthirsty man who sucked at directions even worse than he did. While Yoshirou could understandably get lost in the maze of buildings, he was sure Kenpachi could get lost on a straight road.

As he looked back at the Captain, his heart jumped as he saw another figure. As amazingly quiet as Komamura had been at arriving, he couldn't compare to an Onmitskido member, Soi Fon having arrived without Yoshirou even seeing her enter the door, taking her place beside Komamura with complete silence. He disliked meeting her in official area's, the woman could all too easily swap between a normal posture and one that was ice cold and efficient, last time he had spoken to her in the street he had narrowly avoided taking a blow for not using the –Taichou suffix. She had made it explicitly clear after their first meeting in Soul Society that she wouldn't tolerate his presence in view of others, and while at first he thought it was cute, how he was the only person who could see her normal side, it was still frustrating to see an indifferent expression on her face when she saw him most times, and since his training had taken up practically all his spare time, he had been unable to talk to her for ages.

As he contemplated this, he saw another arrival as Unohana entered the chamber, at first looking as though she would apologise for being late, but upon seeing the distinct lack of other Captains, she simply walked over to stand beside him. He had expected her to try and strike up a conversation, but she didn't try, her expression seemingly showing that she was concerned with other matters. Yoshirou wondered what could be on her mind, but was distracted by noise from the hallway. "Oho, seems our last pair have arrived together."-Kyoraku noted quietly, a strange smile playing across his face.

Just as Kyoraku had guessed, it did seem Kenpachi and Byakuya had arrived together, although why, and just why it was they were arguing Yoshirou couldn't tell. Straining his ears, he picked up a few words. "Like hell….guided….pansy ass…." Was all he could pick up from Kenpachi's words, Byakuya's being too quiet for him to pick up. "I didn't….help….could have gotten here…help from you, stuck up ass!"-Kenpachi growled again, his words getting clearer as he approached the door. "Do you plan to keep whining all day, or will you have some modicum of respect and hold your tongue now we are here?"-Byakuya stated simply as he walked into the room. Kenpachi stomped in afterwards, nearly shouting-"Do you want me to kill you, Kuchiki-teme! I'd love the excuse to!" However, before Byakuya could reply, Kenpachi suddenly fell silent, his eye being caught by Yamamoto's furious gaze at his outburst. With an annoyed _tch_, and one final glare at Byakuya, he took his place in the lines.

With a quick glance at the Captains, the Sou Taichou cleared his throat before beginning-"Now that all the Captains are assembled, this meeting can begin. Now, there has been an incident in the real world, an unusual occurrence in light of the recent situation." With this, Yamamoto nodded to the nearby Mayuri. Smiling strangely, Mayuri began to continue-"Now, I shall endeavour to keep this simple for the more brutish among you…" He took a break to shoot a particularly venomous glance at Kenpachi, but he seemed more concerned with cracking his neck tendons than bothering to listen, something that seemed to annoy Mayuri further. However, with a slight chuckle, he instead said-"Well, with one less idiot listening, this may go faster, now…" With a quick click of his fingers, he summoned an aide that had been hiding near the corner of the room. The aide quickly wheeled a monitor into view, something that surprised Yoshirou, seeing as usually the Sou Taichou wouldn't even permit the presence of another individual during a Captains meet.

With a little smirk, Mayuri pulled something from an inner robe, the object extending with a series of clicks until it took the form of a pointer. With a grand flourish, he tapped the screen, the monitor lighting up as it made contact with whatever pointer he was using. "Now, as you can see, this depicts a certain problem within the human realm…" As he said this, he rapidly tapped the screen with the pointer, moving seemlesly through a series of images and technical display layouts with relative ease. With a large grin, he turned back to his audience as he said-"This, is what we might call in laymens terms, a Hollow nest."

Yoshirou raised an eyebrow at that, while the other captains might have been unused to the term, it was a rather common known term among his squad, since they were the main task that used to be delegated to the Kido Corps. However, a hollow nest, while rare, was a general low level occurance, the task of it's elimination rarely even given as a serious order. Even in the older times, it was rare that anything above a low level officer would go to do the work of destroying a hollow nest, it was a simple sweep, clean and burn operation, nothing that was necessary to bring to the attention of Captains. However, another evil chuckle from the science Captain caught his attention, as he realised Mayuri had actually been watching for his reaction.

"Just as I suspected, your not considering everything, little Kido Captain."-Mayuri laughed out with an amused air, causing Yoshirou to get pissed off straight away. "Well then, enlighten us, why decide to show us such a menial demonstration, Mayuri-san?"-Yoshirou retorted, emphasizing his tone. Mayuri's smile didn't falter though, if anything it grew further. "How naïve, you really think I would bring something so menial to this-"-Mayuri started to retort, but a low growl from the Sou taichou silenced him. With a rather rude _tsk!_ at the Sou taichou, Mayuri stopped the argument, instead continuing with his presentation.

"Now then…"-Mayuri continued, tapping the screen again, a video now appearing. "…as you can see, the recon team went on a usual sweep, average performance, did what was necessary, unusually there was no blunders made, in a usual circumstances, their meagre performance would suffice. However…" As the video continued, he tapped the monitor, another screen appearing beside it, detailing Spiritual presence within the sector. After doing this he kept silent, smiling creepily at the Captains as they watched the display. Yoshirou had a gut feeling what was about to come next, there was no other reason why the second graph would be portrayed but for an ambush. What he was surprised by was the sheer scale, the shinigami on the display screaming as they were overwhelmed by a near tidal wave of Hollow, then the giant leering mask of the Menos Grande finished it off, the screen filling with red before returning to static.

"…How could this have happened?"-Ukitake asked quietly as Mayuri resumed his show, opening numerous other files while shutting off the recording. Without looking away from the interface, Mayuri said-"How indeed? How did so many hollow appear without prior notice and at that strength? It is a puzzling question, and an interesting challenge to answer!" Across the room, Soi Fon seemed to sniff with distaste, noting-"You seem to be enjoying this too much, Kurotsuchi." Yoshirou couldn't help but silently agree, the eager expression on the Captain had him worried just as much as the video itself. Turning back, Mayuri replied-"And why not? Our enemies have left us with a... interesting situation, why should I not enjoy finding the answer to their plans?" Yoshirou felt like saying something against this, but a loud *clack* silenced the Captains, recognising the noise from the Sou Taichou's cane tapping on the floor.

Clearing his throat, the Sou Taichou take over the discussion, saying-"This is a dangerous situation, not only do we have a threat in the real world, but this situation is more critical by the fact that they were unnoticed until they commenced their attack. The mission is simple, for a squad to determine the cause of this anomaly, and to eradicate all further potential threats in this situation. Now, usual protocol will have this case handed to the Kido Corps without notification, however due to the new arrangements within the Gotei 13, this is now a joint responsibility of the entire Gotei 13. Now, this mission will require the presence of at least a Vice Captain rank officer, will there be any volunteers?"

As the other Captains watched the others for the first move, Yoshirou thought about the situation. **Considering everything that's happened, I would say 100% this is another trap by Aizen, theres no way it could be anything else. The target is easy to figure out, it's me again, but the reason is the problem, I bet Mayuri is stuck on the same problem, that's why he keeps talking about there being a challenge in this. **Yoshirou closed his eyes as he concentrated, feeling the gaze of the Sou Taichou watching him as the other Captains started to talk among themselves. **To kill me? I doubt it, he would have fielded forces that definitely require a Captains presence if killing me was the target, that would mean only I could go, as it is too many other people may be eligible for the mission. Capture me? Again, unlikely, and for what reason would he? It doesn't make sense.**

As he continued to think, Komamura stepped forward, nominating that his Vice Captain should lead the operation. Just as Yoshirou thought, Yamamoto declined, he was waiting for Yoshirou's answer instead. Deciding not to keep the Sou Taichou waiting, Yoshirou stepped forward, saying-"Sou Taichou, with the utmost respect, as you said this mission type is normally suited for the Kido Corps, normal field officers don't have experience in these situations like my own unit do. I would like to request that the mission be undertaken by my own Squad as usual, while I will personally head the operation."

Yoshirou expected an affirmation immediately, he had known that this was a mere courtesy and that Yamamoto would expect this kind of situation to be handed to him, however his thoughts were interrupted as a different officer stepped forward. "With respect, I would not advise the deployment of the Kido Corps." Kyoraku omitted a curious-"Oh?" as he turned to see who had spoken, Yoshirou already watching the culprit in surprise. Yamamoto watched curiously, before asking-"On what grounds?" Soi Fon stood, arms crossed with a serious expression on her face as she said-"This is too obviously a trap move by Aizen. You said that this mission is normally given to the Kido Corps? Then that means that the trap was laid with the Kido Corps as its fundamental target to begin with, you would be walking into their hands by deploying that squad." Before Yoshirou could object, a second Captain stood forward, Komamura's expression unreadable as he looked down at Yoshirou, rumbling-"I am inclined to agree with this view."

"Nonsense, what other squad besides theirs and my own has the speciality and experience to deal with this? It would be useless to field a different squad, while it would make an interesting result to record the results from their deaths, it would still be pointless"-Mayuri said, shaking his head as if considering their opinions stupid. "So why doesn't your squad take the mission in their place?"-Soi Fon pointed out, but Mayuri shrugged disinterested, saying-"It would be tedious to deal with this situation, much more interesting to see how others deal with this trap." "You mean you're just interested in watching what would happen if their squad fell into the trap since you can't figure it out yourself."-Soi Fon accused back.

"Are ya all going to quit jabbering some time today? This is getting boring."-Kenpachi noted with a massive yawn. For the first time, Yoshirou was rather glad that Kenpachi was in the meeting, if Soi Fon kept up making an enemy out of Mayuri, there was no telling what would happen. Instead, Mayuri spun about before screeching-"Shut up, fool! You're too barbaric to have anything to add to this, so silence!" Yoshirou decided to step in now, saying-"The simple fact is, my squad is the best to deal with this situation, we have plenty of experience with routing Hollows from their nests, and since I am personally leading the operation, there is more than enough firepower to deal with any Hollow in the nest. My squad will also be the fastest to assemble for this task, since we are equipped for missions like this, we need this situation shut down before anything gets out of hand, and since the first response squad doesn't have the firepower for this, my squad will be able to respond the fastest." Yoshirou could almost see Kyoraku wince at the term he used, the first response team having formally been the 5th Squad, which had suffered the worst during the betrayal incident with Aizen, having lost it's Captain and it's Vice Captain removed from active duty.

With this, the Sou Taichou nodded his head. "It is decided, the Kido Corps will assemble a squad, headed by its Captain, to depart for the human realm effective one hour, that will give you sufficient time to brief your squad and assemble for the mission, dismissed." Yoshirou sighed as he bowed, feeling not only the other Captains gazes watching him, but one particular gaze literally burning into him from the ignored Captain. Before she could try stopping him, Yoshirou walked out faster than usual, following Kyoraku's long strides. Sucking his teeth as he saw the Captain walk up beside him, Kyoraku said-"You not going to apologize? You pretty much insulted your cute l'il girl's opinions in there." Sighing, Yoshirou said-"If I tried, I'll probably end up being late for my rendezvous." Kyoraku laughed at that, saying-"Yeah, Nanao-chan has a habit of scolding me for hours on end too; I know exactly what you mean! And you have a waaaaay more dangerous girl than I do!" Laughing along with him quietly as they exited the room, Yoshirou turned to take a different direction, but Kyoraku's hand suddenly shot out, grabbing his shoulder and instead pulling him back in his direction, surprising Yoshirou.

Kyoraku's grip didn't relent as he vanished, pulling Yoshirou along with him in one quick step. As the scenery blurred, Yoshirou found himself standing before his squad barracks, Kyoraku having literally given him a *lift* there. As he stumbled slightly, Kyoraku laughed saying-"Sorry, I keep forgetting that not everyone's used to that kinda distance!" He put a hand out to steady Yoshirou, before suddenly saying-"When you get back, I'd like it if you and I could have a talk, I got something we need to talk about." Yoshirou turned in surprise at the sudden change in tone, but Kyoraku didn't give him a chance to say anything, smiling brightly as he said-"Later then!", disappearing with a second shunpo step.

**What on earth could he want to talk about?** Yoshirou wondered in confusion as he watched the space Kyoraku had been standing, the dust still disturbed from his movement into little eddies about the ground.

_He's probably interested in your progress with your training._

**You really think so?** Yoshirou thought, not sure whether this was the right reason or not as he turned to walk towards his barracks. Taiyou didn't respond, something that surprised Yoshirou since she usually had the right answer whenever he was confused. Shrugging to himself, he continued along the path towards the main building, planning for the mission that was to come inside his mind.

(20 minutes later)

"All right, boys and girls, here's the plan."-Yoshirou said loudly to his assembled group. It hadn't taken too long to get the main part of the squad's force together, although they had ended up waiting on certain members to finish their duties first. The assembled force was pretty simple; the top nine seated officers in his squad were all that was required. In reality, he probably could have wrapped it all up himself, but destroying the hive would require a coordinated effort due to it's size, he could destroy it himself, but he would end up levelling half of the nearby area if he did it himself. As such, he had decided on bringing the strongest men that he could from his group, while the top ten seated officers may have been overdoing it against mere hollows, he had seen how fast that initial squad had been butchered, and he was determined that his squad wouldn't enact a repeat of that.

"As I really hope, you guys can probably guess what the mission is, since it seems to be the only type we are ever summoned for."-Yoshirou continued, drawing a few chuckles from the assembled men. "However, that doesn't mean I'm going to tolerate slacking today, this particular job may prove more difficult than normal, hence why you guys are coming with me. Now, as usual the plan is simple, we cut our way through the nest until we can reach the key support points. Now normally this would only require a four man team, but this nest is a little bigger than usual, so there's going to be nine this time, you guys got that?" There was a resounding "Yes sir!" from the assembled men, although there were some voices that didn't speak, noticeably Kira, who instead asked-"Taichou, I thought there were ten of us assembled?"

"Glad someone noticed, that's because I'm not joining in with you guys, I get the more fun part of the mission."-Yoshirou announced. "While you guys are busy blowing this nest back to Hueco Mundo, I have to do a separate mission. Don't worry, you guys will probably get the smooth sailing part since I need to reach the heart of the nest, I'm going to have the most Hollows after me." Yoshirou thought he heard some dissent at that, one of the lower seats pulling a face at the idea, so he shrugged, saying-"Alright, I'll leave some behind so you guys can play too. Anyhow, you guys know the drill, kit up with the usual equipment and meet back at the central Senkaimon in 30 minutes time."

"Yes sir!"-the assembled shinigami saluted, before preparing to leave the room. Sighing, Yoshirou waited for them to leave, expecting there to be some particular stragglers. Just as he anticipated, his top three officers still remained, Kira's face showing some worry, Haneko and Tansho as emotionless as ever. Yoshirou suddenly remembered the reason why Kira was obviously disturbed, she had never been part of a major operation before, and certainly not a leading officer in such a situation. The twins were old hands so to say, the two of them having more combat and leadership experience than even he had as the Captain of their Corps. Nothing much I can do about that now, she's just going to have to learn on the run Yoshirou thought as he walked over to them. Kira looked for a second like she would try to say something, but seemingly gave up, quietly turning to walk out as he approached.

"Well Taichou, what bits haven't you told us?"-Haneko asked quietly as Kira walked out of the room, joining the hurried activity of the other squad members. Yoshirou shrugged as he said-"Does it matter too much whether you guys know what I'm up to?" "Yes." The twins bluntly said almost simultaneously, making Yoshirou cringe slightly at the condescending tone from the two older shinigami. With a quiet curse under his breath, Yoshirou said-"Alright, what do you guys want to know?" Haneko seemed to nod his approval at getting his way as Tansho said-"First off, why so many officers? We rarely put more than two officers on a mission, three if the mission is a big one, just enough to command the troops. However, not only is there ten officers, all of our best, but not a single unseated shinigami is being brought along? I don't intend to question your authority on this, it's not our place, but for what reasons are these measures required?"

Yoshirou sighed as he walked towards the wall. With a quick summoning of reiatsu, he drew some light to his finger tips as he started to move his hands before the wall, lines remaining where he traced his fingertips. As he worked, he explained-"This mission doesn't sit well for me personally, too many possibilities of what can go wrong, now…." As he continued his movements, quickly outlining a pattern that started to take shape before the assembled men. "…this nest is most likely bigger than we think, so we are going to need more and stronger men than usual to bring it down." Haneko raised an eyebrow as he realised what the massive pattern at the centre of the light display their Captain had made depicted. "What on earth could be in something that large?"-Tansho asked, Haneko answering just as soon with one word-"Gillian."

Nodding, Yoshirou said-"Got it in one, that's why I'm coming along with you guys, I know you two can handle them easily, but I don't intend to put the rest of our team at risk, so any major engagements are to be left down to me." As he turned back from the wall, his light display still hanging in the air before the wall, Yoshirou said-"Also, we have the more obvious problem." Haneko frowned as he said-"So there's a chance this might have been done by Aizen-tai…" "Aizen, correct?"-Tansho finished, covering up Haneko's slight mistake. "Yep, that's also why I'm going, out of all of us, I'm most likely to be able to adapt to any situation that may occur, anyhow I'll do another brief for the rest of the squad once we arrive in the real world, it's best if you guys keep this info all to yourself, just kit up and get ready to depart." The twins nodded curtly, with a simultaneous -"Yes sir, Taichou." As they turned to leave, Yoshirou sighed in relief. **Well, I expected them to take it easily, it's going to be telling this to everyone else that's going to be troublesome **Yoshirou thought as he snapped his fingers, the light display vanishing behind him as he disconnected the flow of reiatsu.

_You still didn't tell them everything_

**They don't need to know all the details, if I did they would insist on stopping me or backing me up, either one will cause more problems.**

_Perhaps that's because your being too rash again, you want to do this yourself so that nobody else gets in danger, but your forgetting that you can't underestimate Aizen._

**I'm not, but we don't exactly have any other choice do we? If we send more than just one squad, something else could happen. We can't involve the team stationed in the human realm at the moment, since this could also be a ploy to leave Karakura Town unguarded. My only option is to do it myself, I'll find out whatever Aizen has planned, and create havoc for the traitor while I'm at it.**

(40 minutes later)

Yoshirou finally managed to get his squad to the main Senkaimon gate, barely on schedule. He had forgotten just how long it took to assemble a team for a mission, it had been almost a month since the last time he had to assemble for a mission. As he and the group with him arrived, he was surprised to see another person waiting at the gates, which were humming slowly as their power was charging. **Oh crap, I should have known I wouldn't escape this** Yoshirou realised as he walked towards the massive gate. Just as he had guessed, the person waiting was Soi Fon, her back turned to the arriving shinigami, obviously still annoyed at the results of the Captains meeting. Yoshirou made a quick glance over his shoulder, hoping that he could use one of his subordinates to perhaps distract her, but there was no such luck, his Vice Captain and the higher officers preparing themselves with some kind of plan further away.

Dreading what was about to come, Yoshirou walked forward, hoping that the Captain wouldn't try killing him today. As he approached, his footsteps heard by the woman, she turned her head and watched his approach. Yoshirou wondered whether it was possible now that he was more afraid of approaching this Captain than he was of taking on Aizen, but pushed the thought aside. Deciding it was best that he tried starting the conversation rather than waiting for the tirade to come, Yoshirou hesitantly said-"Well, you came to see us off then?" The Captain made a derisive sniff at his comment, replying-"Hardly, I'm here on standby instead." "Standby?"-Yoshirou asked, unsure as to what she meant.

With a quick glance at the nearby shinigami to see if they would overhear, Soi Fon said quietly-"You know that every time your left alone, you end up being nearly killed, so I requested that at least the 2nd squad were left on rapid response in case your mission takes a turn for the worse, which knowing you, it undoubtedly will." Yoshirou raised an eyebrow, asking-"Is it me or was that you being concerned?" Soi Fon glared at him in response, before saying-"You know this is a mistake, your walking straight into a trap and your acting like it doesn't matter!" Yoshirou shrugged, saying-"What other choice do I have? No other squad has experience fighting in those kind of places, all it will lead to is everyone getting butchered." Soi Fon continued to glare at him, but she didn't offer any argument against him either. "You know as well this is the only thing we can do, short of the Sou Taichou leading the squad I'm the best we have for this."-Yoshirou said finally, before turning to return to his team.

However, he stopped after he felt his arm pulled back. Surprised, he turned to Soi Fon again, and he was surprised to see her concern reflected in her eyes. He faltered slightly at seeing the expression on her face, not one that he was used to seeing at all. She looked like she was about to say something, but suddenly the Senkaimon blazed blue beside them, distracting the two Captains as it reached it's full charge. Across the way, the twin shinigami started to herd the rest of the group through the portal. With a sigh, Yoshirou said-"Look, if it relieves you in any way, I'll try to refrain from doing anything stupid while I'm on my little mission, okay?" Soi Fon hesitated for a second, before letting out a sigh, releasing his arm. Within seconds, she seemed to compose herself again, her usual smirk back on her face as she replied-"That's impossible, you were born stupid to begin with." Yoshirou laughed, feigning that he had been injured before turning to go to the portal. Soi Fon watched as he walked towards the portal, before noticing that he had suddenly stopped. As she watched, he suddenly turned, a strange, almost mischievous seeming smile on his face.

As far as the shinigami who ran the Senkaimon reported, there was a sudden intense flash of light about the Senkaimon as the Kido Corps Captain entered the Dangai world Precipice that lasted for a full five seconds, blinding everyone in the vicinity. As soon as the crew could see again, the portal had already closed, the Captain and his group having departed for the real world. At the same time, the visiting Captain, Soi Fon-taichou, went to leave the assembly area, however reports indicated that she seemed distracted and was reported be rather red in the face for completely unknown reasons.

* * *

**Well here we are, effectivly my own story arc is about to begin. This is where I am going to be tested properly, most of my work was a copy off of Tite Kubo's work with my own twist to it, this story arc will be completely individualised, it features old villains we all know, as well as the odd new one that I am going to create, look forward to it!**

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**SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP**

Ikkaku yawned as he walked into the 11th division barracks, tired and drunk after a long day of sparring/drinking with Iba. He never understood why it felt so good to fight while drunk, but he had gotten over caring, just enjoying pummelling Iba without a care. As he walked through the main living area's, stretching his arms in front of him, he was distracted by a sight, his Vice Captain sitting strangely quiet at a table. "Fukutaichou, what are ya up ta?"-Ikkaku said suspiciously, unsure as to why the normally far too loud Vice Captain wasn't creating a mess of the place. When his question wasn't answered, he sidled over to get a look at whatever Yachiru was doing. As he loomed over the seated girl, he noticed that there was an amount of crayons spread at random points around the table, with a messy sheet of paper covered in doodles in front of the Vice Captain, her face showing intense concentration at the sheet of paper she had before her.

"Eh? What the hecks that?"-Ikkaku said as he tried to make sense of the scribbles and strange animals on the sheet of paper. However, he was suddenly surprised by a head butt to the chin, having not realised he was leaning over where she had been sitting, as she suddenly exploded from the seat, with a triumphant-"It's done!" He flew back, landing sprawled on the floor as Yachiru danced around in joy with her sheet of doodles, apparently having not noticed the critical blow she had laid her 3rd seat out with. As she continued laughing with joy, she suddenly stood on Ikkaku, suddenly stopping in confusion as she looked down at her feet. She stared down at the man on the floor as he got more and more angry, before suddenly asking-"Why are you on the floor, pachinko?"

With a roar, Ikkaku leapt up from the floor, Yachiru vanishing with a laugh as he tried to grab her. Ikkaku looked about in confusion for the girl, before suddenly having something slapped in his face. In confusion, he slowly realised he was looking at the sheet she had been messing with. "Well? Well? What do you think, Pachinko?"-Yachiru excitedly asked. Calming down a bit, Ikkaku grabbed the sheet of paper from his face, before trying to take a more clear look at it, Yachiru's eyes looking expectedly at him. He turned the sheet upside down and sideways, but no matter how he looked, he couldn't figure out what the scribbles were. He looked down at Yachiru as he asked-"What's it meant to be?" Yachiru frowned in annoyance as she shouted-"It's meant to be a sorry letter!"

Ikkaku tried reading the sheet again now he knew that, but still couldn't make any sense of it. Then what she said slowly dawned in him. Looking down at her, Ikkaku asked-"What on hell or earth did ya do that made ya guilty enough to write a sorry letter?" Yachiru looked up at the ceiling as she remembered yesterday's events.

FLASHBACK

_"Yep we got him now!"-Yachiru said happily as she waived the camera at Kenpachi's head. Kenpachi grunted as he watched her out of his open eye, asking-"Ya got what ya wanted, ya happy now?" Yachiru beamed as she quickly went over the photo's she had in her head, before saying-"Yep, just got to get Wan-Wan and Byakushi and that's everyone!" Before the two of them, their target, Yoshirou, started to walk away, obviously thinking that their need for him was finished. However, Yachiru suddenly remembered what she overheard Nanao telling Kira, and she quickly cried out-"Oh no, Nana said they had to be revealing pictures!" Before the two of them, Yoshirou visibly flinched, quickly preparing to try and get away, however Kenpachi was faster, his hand reaching out to grab him before he could escape. He turned his good eye back to her again as he asked-"What do ya mean by revealing?"_

__

Present situation

"And that's what happened!"-Yachiru finished explaining, before noticing the colour had almost drained from Ikkaku's face. "Y-Your telling me you and Taichou forcibly stripped another Captain in the middle of the street to get photo's of him? No bloody wonder your feeling guilty if ya did that!"-Ikkaku shouted back at her. Yachiru frowned as she said-"What do you mean by guilty?" Ikkaku started in surprise, before shaking his head as he explained-"When you feel bad that you did something." Yachiru remained silent for a second, before smiling as she said-"Nope, don't feel that at all!" Ikkaku just stared dumbfounded at the little girl, wondering whether she was the real devil in their midst, not their battle loving captain.

Yachiru's face changed to a sad expression as she said-"But he wont talk to me anymore now, and I like Yoshi-kun, he saved Icchi from dying after he gave Ken-chan that fun fight, I don't want him angry at me." Ikkaku looked at her with surprise at the sudden change, before shrugging, saying-"Well, you might want to try apologizing first, what ya forced him to just go through probably traumatized him, personally I'd rather die before something like that happened ta me." Yachiru nodded eagerly as she said-"That's why I wrote him that letter, so he wont be angry with me! I also got him a present!" Ikkaku raised an eyebrow as Yachiru suddenly vanished, running into a different room. Within seconds she had suddenly reappeared with an awful condition book. He took a double take as he looked at the book, realising it wasn't in awful condition from damage, it was just badly made, obviously something she had slapped together as well.

"Special photo book…."-Ikkaku read as he took the book from her hands, being careful with it for in case it fell apart. "….don't say this is all the images you just took…"-Ikkaku asked apprehensively as he watched the Vice Captain. "No, those aren't my photo's, their ones Nana-chan confiscated, so I took them!"-Yachiru said happily as Ikkaku opened the book, before his eyes nearly popped out of his eye sockets in surprise at the photo's he saw inside. He almost instantly snapped the book shut, his face blazing red from what he had just seen, before shouting-"HOW IN HELL DID YOU GET YOUR MITTS ON THESE!" Yachiru looked at him like he was stupid, before slowly repeating-"I-got-them-from-Nana-chan, stupid Pachinko" Ikkaku looked in almost fear at the book he held, wondering whether having seen the images inside had just spelt his death sentence.

Yachiru didn't notice his strange expression, instead beaming as she asked-"Well, do you think he'll like it?" Ikkaku continued to stare at the book cover for a few seconds before turning his eyes to the tiny Vice Captain. He silently handed the book back to her, causing her to look at him in confusion over his silence. After still not speaking for a few seconds, he said-"Like hell I'd know, just tell me when you plan to give it to him." Yachiru looked at him with confusion as he went to leave the room, asking-"Why?" Just before he left the room, Ikkaku said-"Cause I plan to be out of Soul Society when he see's that book."

**And that's the end of this chapter, sorry but my computer is being an ass, and wont let me get rid of the italics unless i turn everything else italic so the last chunk of text is unfortunatly stuck in italics, sorry. Anyhow, seeya all whenever I managed to get the next chapter up (I wonder what the photo's are in the Golden Cup chapter...)**


	22. Chapter 21

**Hello guys, I wasn't sure whether I was going to make this chapter or not, I was either going to go straight towards the mission, or do a breaker chapter that involved comparing Kurosaki to Yoshirou, so you could get a better gauge of Yoshirou's power increase. In the end, I did the latter, so expect something interesting to happen in this chapter. As you can expect, this fight isn't a full gauge of Yoshirou's power increase, since he still has to hold his power back to use during the upcoming mission, and he refrains from using Kido this time around, you can see his full new power in the upcoming Primera encounter, where I will be able to have more fun in writing the match (should be fun, combining my new O.C power fighting the most powerful Espada while hampered by the Scientists tricks at the same time)**

**If you would rather see his power later, than you can skip reading this chapter, the next chapter resumes only an hour after the start of this chapter, and can be read straight after the last if you so choose. If you want to see a big fight between a Vizard/Human and a Captain, including some humour from the other Vizards, then read ahead!**

* * *

"Alright Taichou, what happened to you?"-Tansho suddenly asked as they arrived in the human realm, the Senkaimon gates opening to allow the squad through. "Huh? What do you mean?"-Yoshirou asked in surprise as Haneko joined him on his opposite side, pointing at his face as he said-"That, you've had a stupid smile on your face since we left." Yoshirou touched his cheek lightly, and realised the two were right, he was smiling unknowingly. Laughing, he said-"I'm just happy to arrive in the real world, been cooped up in Soul Society for too long." The expressions on the twins faces told him instantly that his excuse wasn't being accepted, but he had no inclination to tell them why he was smiling. **Been wanting to try catching her off guard for ages** Yoshirou thought as he watched his men enjoy the feel of the breeze in the air.

_Concentrate, you're here on a mission don't forget._

**Aww, trust you to kill the atmosphere, jealous that she's getting the attention or something? **Yoshirou asked off hand, but didn't receive an answer from the zanpakuto, having obviously annoyed her. Sighing, he threw his senses out across the area trying to get a grasp on the situation. They had been dropped off at the usual access point on the bank of the river through Karakura Town, which left them pretty far from their target. He could sense their target's location from where he was, although it was strange. It wasn't that he could sense it, but he could sense where there was nothing, there was always minute traces of Reishi in the air, so it was possible to locate the nest based off of where the Reishi wasn't, since it seemed to be impossible to pick up the Reiatsu signatures from the nest. **Damn, how on earth did he manage to create something that size which isn't possible to be detected?** Yoshirou wondered.

Filing the thoughts away, he turned towards his assembled team. With a deep breath, he began, saying-"All right boys, we seem to be pretty far from our destination, so it's time to do some jogging, did all of you memorise the location of the nest?" There was an assorted amount of answers from that, half of the squad having neglected to do so. Sighing at his team, Yoshirou asked-"Okay, who did?" As he expected, Tansho and Haneko confirmed that they had, alongside the 5th Seat Kaito, the 6th seat Fuyu, the 8th Seat Takumi and the 9th seat Yuuto. What he was surprised by was that the person who was supposed to be second in charge, Kira, had also forgotten to do so. **Jesus, they had an hour to do it, lazy asses** Yoshirou thought with a sigh as he said-"All right, since not all of us have reached Shunpo proficiency, we shall be getting there by forced march". A series of outcries at this came from the officers, but Yoshirou said-"Blame the ones who didn't bother memorising the locations, this is their and your punishment boys, so suck it up."

With a lot of unenthusiastic-"Yessir", the team started to move. Yoshirou joined the group, walking beside Tansho and Haneko, who had instinctively taken the lead. As they marched for a few minutes, the men seemed to calm down, realising this was their chance to enjoy the scenery they were going through. While the Human Realm lacked in reishi in the air, everything that was in their sight had a feeling of life to it that was sorely missing in Soul Society, and soon enough the officers spirits returned as some of them started to sing a marching song, albeit awfully. Yoshirou laughed quietly to himself as he marched, his strides long enough that it didn't really feel like a march to him. He also enjoyed being in the Real World, everything in Soul Society was made by spiritual particles, while you could sense the energies from everything that grew in the real world differently.

"Taichou, at this pace it's going to take over an hour to arrive there"-Tansho noted quietly beside him. Yoshirou's mood changed instantly, while he liked enjoying the scenery, an hour of marching was going to be boring as anything. **Tch that's annoying** Yoshirou thought as he looked up at the sky. Fortunatly the sky was pretty bright, he had no intentions of marching in the rain, if it started pouring on them, mission or not, he was going to be pissed. **Why can't they just calibrate the gate closer to the location? **Yoshirou wondered internally, although he knew the answer already. Calibrating specific destinations took an immense amount of time, it would be faster to use the Senkaimon to its preset destination then walk there.

But knowing that didn't change the fact that he was already getting bored. Suddenly an idea occurred to him. "Hey, you two wouldn't mind leading them the rest of the way without me would you?"-Yoshirou asked hopefully to the twin shinigami beside him. Instantly, both of them looked at him suspiciously, simultaneously asking-"Why?" Yoshirou sighed; he doubted they would agree if he told them the real reason why, so he had to think for a second. **Think, what kind of excuse would work here?**

After musing for a few seconds, the trampling noise from the team behind him prominent in his ears, he finally formulated his excuse. "Well, I was just thinking I would see if I could get any aid from the local shinigami, more men on the task would make it easier, wouldn't it?" They didn't buy it, Haneko saying flatly-"You're just bored and want an excuse to go do something." Yoshirou laughed lightly, asking-"Was it that obvious?" Both shinigami stared at him with a flat expression, as if he was stupid to think he could deceive them in the first place. "Jeez, I keep forgetting you two have more experience with dealing with excuses from troubling subordinates."-Yoshirou admitted. Tansho sighed on his opposite side, before saying-"What do you think brother, should we let the Taichou loose?" Haneko seemed to think on it for a second, before replying-"It's not like we could stop him anyway."

Yoshirou beamed happily as he said-"Thanks guys!" Within a second he had already vanished, disappearing with a quick shunpo. "Really, what a troubling Captain we have."-Haneko said off hand as the twins now continued alone, marching with the rest of the squad who seemed to have not noticed their Captains absence.

Yoshirou on the other hand was moving at a ridiculous speed compared to his slower squad, his shunpo taking him at breakneck speeds throughout the terrain they had just covered.

_Really, you're only on the mission a few minutes and you already get bored with it?_

**Yep, going slowly isn't my style, I'll just catch up with them before they reach the destination** Yoshirou thought as he leaped through the air, enjoying the feel of the wind on his face.

_*Sigh* What are you planning to do instead then?_

**Well I'm interested in how Kurosaki's doing, it's been a month since I last saw him** Yoshirou thought as he started to reach the town proper, leaping over buildings with ease as he continued to shunpo. He suddenly halted for a second as he sensed something nearby. He quickly jabbed a finger to his left, before continuing with his shunpo, trying to remember exactly where the Vizard base was, and hoping fervently they hadn't moved since. On the streets below, there was a quiet screech unheard by any of the normal humans nearby as a hollow's mask suddenly imploded from a spell smashing it in the face, the force of the reiatsu consuming the hollow in an instant, the hollow having no clue as to who killed it as it disappeared into nothing, it's soul disintegrating instantly.

_You mean you're just curious as to who's done better in their training_

**Why is everybody able to tell what I mean in reality nowadays? It's getting rather frustrating** Yoshirou thought as he vanished again, the thought of the hollow he had just slain filed quietly away in his mind as unimportant.

(10 minutes later)

The air was disturbed forcefully as Yoshirou landed softly on the ground, having just fallen nearly a hundred feet from the air, yet not creating a noise as he landed on the concrete below. Straightening up, he looked forward at the old warehouse before him, smiling as he sensed the powerful magic around the building. **Really, it almost makes you think that you don't want to go near the building** Yoshirou thought as he walked forward, noticing offhand that a line of ants on the floor had veered away from the building on instinct. **Quite impressive magic, Hachi always was good at this kinda stuff** Yoshirou thought as he closed his eyes. When he looked again, looking passively rather than aiming his eyes at the building, he could visibly see the barrier before him, glowing with a bright orange intensity.

**Heh, last time I was here I ended up fighting a Vizard** Yoshirou thought as he tried to go back in his memories for the incantation Hachi taught him. He could disintegrate the barrier easily enough, but that would remove the barrier and make them think an enemy was attacking; the last thing he wanted was eight Vizards killing him based off a misunderstanding. As he remembered them, he thrust his hands forward, quickly performing six seals with his hand before clapping his hands together. Before him, an entrance formed in the barrier, a section removing itself to allow him passage, his reiatsu and the seals together performing a spatial transformation that temporarily removed a big enough section of the barrier for him to pass.

"Thank you for opening the door."- a smooth voice suddenly said behind him, making him jump slightly. He instantly recognised the voice as one of the Vizards he had met a month ago, although why he was outside he didn't know, also how he had escaped Yoshirou's notice surprised him. "Nice to see you to, Rose"-Yoshirou said offhand as he stepped aside to let the Vizard through the barrier. With a slight bow, Rose took up his offer, walking past him and through the opening he had created, the bags in his hands showing the reason why he had left the warehouse. "You on groceries duty then?"-Yoshirou asked as he stepped forward through the barrier himself, the gap closing behind him as he passed. Rose put the bags down gently before running a hand quickly through his mane of hair, saying-"Indeed, though it seems with your presence I might not have brought enough food for everybody."

Yoshirou laughed as he said-"Don't worry about it, I'm only visiting for a little while, where is everybody at?" Rose smiled slightly as he said-"Downstairs of course." Yoshirou looked at him with confusion before Rose suddenly clapped his hands, Yoshirou noticing the trace of reiatsu that was used in the gesture. He bent down, picking up one of the bags as a section of the floor opened before them. "Now, if you would be so kind as to take the second bag, I shall guide you to our lovely training area."-Rose said as he walked forward, walking down the set of stairs the floor had revealed before them. Yoshirou laughed as he bent down, picking up the bag. "Well I'm glad somebody was upstairs then, I would have had trouble figuring out where that trapdoor was if you weren't here."-Yoshirou said as he followed the shadow created by Rose's figure.

"Indeed, but if you know the way into the barrier, I doubt that would have remained hidden for long."-Rose noted offhand as the duo descended further, Yoshirou noticing a source of light ahead of them. Suddenly, Rose raised his voice, as he said ahead of him-"I'm back, and it seems we have a guest today as well!" From somewhere below them, Yoshirou could hear Shinji's voice call back-"Eh, what are ya talking about? Guest?" As the two of them finally descended down into the light, Yoshirou realised he could hear some noises, loud, strangely echoing grunts and shouts, with the metallic clang of sword on sword. "Oi, Hiyori knock it off now, Rose's back!"-Shinji shouted from somewhere nearby as Yoshirou's eyes adjusted to the light from the room they had entered.

**Does everybody love the idea of massive caverns or something?** Yoshirou wondered as he looked about the rocky expanse before him. The cave was yet another copy of the training area from Soul Society, although the size of this one dwarfed what was within Soul Society, Yoshirou was surprised the nearby buildings could still remain standing with such a massive cavern cut out underneath them. "Ah, Yoshirou-kun, what are ya up ta comin here?"-Shinji shouted up as he finally came into sight. Yoshirou saw the ex-captain ahead of him, scratching his head in confusion as he watched Yoshirou and Rose descend the stairs together. Yoshirou smiled as he saw the assembled Vizards before him, once again taken back slightly by the nostalgic feel from seeing so many Captains and Vice Captains from the old day's assembled before him.

It didn't look exactly right, since the various Vizards were once again wearing strange clothing from the human realm and most of them were lounging on one rock or another, messing with whatever they had with them. Lisa was flicking through some kind of magazine, as was Love, although what it was they were both reading Yoshirou didn't exactly want to know, since he had seen some of the magazines Lisa kept when he had last come. Kensei seemed to be asleep atop one massive boulder, Mashiro seemingly drawing patterns on his face with a blackboard marker. Shinji seemed to have been chatting with Hachi, who was sat on the floor, although now both were watching him with slightly perplexed expressions.

Hiyori was nowhere to be seen, although judging from what Shinji had shouted a few seconds ago, she had to be around. As he threw out his senses, he discovered two presences further away, reiatsu hanging in the air between them showing that they had been fighting**. Well, Kurosaki's reiatsu has changed again** Yoshirou thought as he finally reached the floor of the cavern. He could feel Kurosaki's original reiatsu, but it felt like it had been mixed. He could feel the hollow's presence within him as well, still radiating an evil aura, but it felt tamed now, no longer trying to engulf everything about it, seemingly in balance now with his own reiatsu.

"I just came to see how everyone was doing, and whether you had succeeded in dealing with Kurosaki's hollow problem."-Yoshirou said as he walked over to Shinji. Shinji rolled his eyes as he answered-"I said we'd pound it inta him, we don' need ya checkin up on us now, c'mon." Yoshirou laughed as he said-"Don't worry, I trusted you would, I was just getting bored and this seemed a perfect opportunity to come see it for myself." Shinji nodded, before saying-"Mind ya, it was touch an go for a bit, that hollow of his is ferocious nasty, it took everythin we had ta fight it without killing it outright, but it's all old news now, he's got it under wraps." Yoshirou nodded as he said-"I can sense it, he's gotten a lot stronger since we last met." Shinji smiled, before suddenly whistling in surprise. He turned as he said-"Say what ya will, but ya no different, just tried figurin your power out now, your pretty much off the charts compared to what ya were, nice!"

Yoshirou smiled as he said-"Thanks, managed to get the Bankai pinned down a while back, it's been mostly training to get that under control since, but it seems my power has increased a little as well." Shinji laughed at that, wrapping his arms about his stomach as he said-"A little? Goddammit I wouldn't want ta see what ya think is a major improvement then." Yoshirou laughed with him, as he heard the gravel crunching nearby, signalling the return of the other two. "Oh, Yoshirou?"-Kurosaki suddenly said in surprise as he passed the boulder that had been blocking his view. Yoshirou spun about to see him, and was surprised. Last time they had met Kurosaki had held himself differently, an almost defeated pose, now he was standing up straight, holding himself with purpose again.

Yoshirou laughed as he walked forward-"Well aren't you looking better! How has the training been holding up for you?" Kurosaki raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, before saying-"Oh, alright I suppose, but I had hoped it would go faster…" Suddenly his head was knocked forward as a sandal smashed him in the back of the head, Hiyori's face showing her anger as she shouted-"Well if you weren't such a useless dickhead it would have been better!" Yoshirou prepared to leap back in case the same argument as last time broke out, but Kurosaki managed to hold in making any return attack. Kurosaki shook his head slightly to bring his senses back, before saying-"Anyhow, how come you're here? Has something happened?"

Yoshirou sighed as he said-"Yeah, something turned up in the real world and I've been sent to handle it, it's not confirmed, but it's probably involving Aizen again." Kurosaki's eyes narrowed at the name, recognising it straight off. His hand seemed to move slightly, as if he wanted to take his zanpakuto in hand, his reiatsu building slightly as if anticipation, but he stopped the instinct, his hand falling back to his side, the motion having gained Shinji's attention as he watched the pair. Kurosaki looked sharply at Yoshirou as he said-"I'll go with you then, your going to need my help if it's Aizen."

"Hold it right there."-Shinji suddenly said, breaking Kurosaki's attention. Yoshirou turned to Shinji, noticing the sudden seriousness in his eyes. "Ya haven't finished your training yet Ichigo, I'm not letting ya leave early."-Shinji said as his eyes locked with Kurosaki's own. "This is shinigami business; you're not a shinigami anymore, your one of us." Kurosaki was surprised by the statement, before heatedly saying-"But this is Aizen again, he could be preparing to attack Karakura Town!" Shinji vanished in an instant, appearing before Kurosaki as he swiped his hand up, surprising Kurosaki with his proximity as the hand floated just before his face. "Like I said, this is their business; your training is the priority. Besides, if Yoshirou-kun is here, he should be able ta handle it himself, ya agree, don't ya?"-Shinji said, turning his head to Yoshirou. Yoshirou sighed as he said-"Yeah, I should be able to, I have a team with me already as it is, and unless there's an Espada hidden nearby, there should be nothing I can't deal with anyhow."

Kurosaki looked at him for a few seconds, before grimacing, saying-"Fine then." Shinji instantly started smiling again, as he patted Kurosaki on the back, saying-"See, I knew ya would see it my way! Now, how is the time limit goin?" **Time limit?** Yoshirou wondered as Kurosaki's face fell even further, before he muttered-"11 seconds" Shinji stood there after hearing it, his face frozen as it was before forcibly smiling as he said-"Well, if we keep workin on it, ya should be able ta do it for longer soon!" **Do it? Time limit?** Yoshirou wondered as he watched Kurosaki's expression tighten again as Hiyori laughed behind him, declaring-"We could keep this up for another century, that dickhead is never going to get better!" **Is it a limit to how long he can use his powers, like Kensei did against me?** Yoshirou wondered as he remembered the way Kensei had managed to summon a mask to his face, his power growing massively.

…**wait, Kensei's power skyrocketed when he put the mask on, is that the same for Kurosaki?** Yoshirou wondered as he watched Kurosaki and Hiyori hurl insults at each other. **If that's so, he could become quite strong, if his power now isn't his full power with the mask on.** As he thought this, Shinji suddenly announced-"Ichigo, why don't ya try sparring with Yoshirou-kun, if he has the time?" **Eh?** Yoshirou thought, his trail of thought broken by the sudden suggestion, Kurosaki also pulling just as surprised an expression across the way. "Y'know, I wouldn't mind seeing that."-Kensei suddenly added from nearby, having woken up from the sound of the argument between Hiyori and Kurosaki. Shinji nodded, before suddenly looking curiously at Kensei, saying-"Nice, I like the new look"

As Kensei tried to figure out what Shinji meant, Kurosaki looked at Yoshirou with some curiosity, saying-"Actually, I was kinda curious as to how your training was going as well, so we might as well go for a round." Yoshirou sighed as he answered-"Okay, but I'm still on a mission at the moment, so I'm not going to go all out against ya." Kurosaki laughed as he said-"Don't worry, I've been already training today so I'm not exactly in the condition for an all out fight anyway." **Well this is surprising **Yoshirou thought as Kurosaki walked towards a more open area in the cavern. **I didn't think I'd actually get to see the results of his training, but it sounds interesting too.**

_Just don't go wasting too much reiatsu, the others are still waiting for you_

**Yeah I got it, don't worry** Yoshirou finished as he followed Kurosaki to the open area. Now that they were getting ready, the rest of the Vizards curiosity had gotten the better of them, nearly all of them moving about the cavern to get a good look at the upcoming encounter. "I'll bet 2000 yen that the Captain goes down within a minute"-Love suddenly shouted from the sidelines. **Oh great, their betting on the results** Yoshirou thought sarcastically as he watched the Vizards start to argue about the chances the two contestants had. Pushing his thoughts aside, he turned towards Kurosaki, who had already drawn Zangetsu, and was waiting patiently for him to do the same. Sighing, Yoshirou drew his own zanpakuto, causing a stir of surprise from the Vizards as they saw the blade that he drew.

"Oi, oi, what the heck happened to your zanpakuto, Yoshirou-kun?"-Shinji shouted over from the sidelines. "Huh? What's wrong with it?"-Yoshirou asked as he glanced at the blade. No matter how he looked at it, it was the same as it usually was, it wasn't broken or dirty, just the normal form for his blade. **Oh, I forgot…** Yoshirou realized, remembering that while he was used to seeing it, this was the first time he had shown somebody other than Yamamoto his sword's sealed form since he gained his Bankai. "Well, there's nothing wrong with it, nice and fancy, but why on earth is the darn thing glowing?"-Shinji called over. Yoshirou shrugged, saying-"I like it, and it still functions like I sword, so does it really matter?" Shinji just shrugged in indifference. Across the way, Kurosaki was still rather confused as to what was happening, but after Yoshirou settled into a stance, he understood that they were about to begin.

**Well, I'll let him make the first move** Yoshirou thought, then almost wished he hadn't, Kurosaki vanishing with shunpo, making three quick steps in a random pattern as he rapidly closed the distance between them. Yoshirou concentrated on the movements he saw Kurosaki make when he appeared, trying to predict where he would appear next. At the last seconds, he saw the distinctive step that showed he was attacking and raised his zanpakuto in time. There was a massive clang as the zanpakuto clashed, Kurosaki's face showing a trace of surprise that he had been followed so easily. Drawing his massive Shikai back, Kurosaki attacked again and again in rapid succession, Yoshirou swaying and avoiding the attacks as they came. **Well, his attacks are stronger at least **Yoshirou thought as he ducked, the massive cleaver slicing where his head had been, the air whipped into a frenzy wherever the zanpakuto cut. **…but he's slow, I can see everything before it gets near hitting me** Yoshirou thought as he raised his zanpakuto up, deftly parrying the massive cleaver as it reversed direction, aiming for his legs this time.

For the next minute, all there was to see was a fast clash of blade on blade as Kurosaki and Yoshirou tried to force the other one back. While Yoshirou was clearly the faster, the massive weight that Zangetsu held was putting Yoshirou more on the defensive than attacking. Shinji yawned as he watched the fight, murmuring-"He's not that bad after all, he's able to keep up with Ichigo without releasing his zanpakuto, but that's just the easy bit." Suddenly, there was a louder clang as sealed Zanpakuto and Shikai met, both fighters now trying to overpower the other. "Well Ichigo can win this without much trouble."-Shinji decided, before suddenly realizing something interesting was happening.

As the two combatants put their force behind their blades, their reiatsu started to roll about them, Kurosaki's blue reiatsu clashing against Yoshirou's golden reiatsu. **Well, he's gotten better, but I had hoped for more improvement without using the hollow powers** Yoshirou thought sadly as he released one hand from his blade handle. Instantly, Kurosaki started gaining the advantage, his Shikai almost forcing Yoshirou flying, his feet digging tracks in the ground as he started to lose the clash, but Yoshirou calmly reached a hand up his sleeve. Within seconds Kurosaki was suddenly sent flying away, Yoshirou's full power brought to bear in one second, his reiatsu having grown to monstrous proportions about him. Shinji raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sudden change, Kurosaki having been overpowered nearly instantly.

As Kurosaki flew through the air, he righted himself, skidding on the ground as he landed. He looked up in surprise, he knew he hadn't brought all of his power to bear, but for him to be sent flying so easily was surprising. He then noticed something, across the way Yoshirou was holding something in his hands, a set of bands.

Yoshirou stretched one of his arms out to get the blood flowing as he felt his reiatsu surge in response to removing his limiters, the five bands held loosely in his hands.

_Why did you remove them all?_

**Because I want to see his power properly, if I hold back he won't show it all** Yoshirou explained as he quickly pocketed the bands, noticing that Kurosaki had already recovered from the attack. **Like I thought, he was holding back too** Yoshirou thought as he gathered his reiatsu. Kurosaki also did the same, pulling now on more reiatsu than before, causing the blue aura about him to grow in fiery response to him pulling on his power. Both combatants moved together, crossing the field instantly as zanpakuto met zanpakuto in the centre, the force of the clash causing the nearby dust to whip up about the pair, trapped in the eddies of their massive reiatsu. As Yoshirou pushed against Kurosaki's blade, the two blades almost quivering in excitement from the clash, he noticed that Kurosaki was grinning now, caught up in the excitement of the battle.

Yoshirou suddenly changed tactics, a hand reaching past the two trapped blades to grab Kurosaki's robes. With a grunt of exertion, he forced the two blades downwards as he simultaneously pulled on the uniform, hurling Kurosaki behind him. However, much to his surprise, Kurosaki wasn't fazed even slightly, instantly kicking off of the air to spring back into close range before Yoshirou could prepare to use his Kido**. Has his training included against Hakuda and Kido now?** Yoshirou wondered as he brought his zanpakuto up in response, feeling the meteoric impact as Zangetsu slammed against his own blade. Now caught off guard, it was Yoshirou being forced back, his footing being wrong combined with the massive weight from the cleaver sending him flying through the air. As he spun through the air, he couldn't help but grin himself. **I didn't think he'd improve that much, this looks like it could be fun** Yoshirou thought as he finally righted himself, landing softly as he looked for Kurosaki.

As he looked, he couldn't see Kurosaki anywhere. **So behind me then?** Yoshirou wondered as he listened for a telltale sign. A sudden crunch in the gravel announced Kurosaki's shunpo finishing as he impacted heavily on the ground. **Still fights like a human then, keeping to the ground when he can** Yoshirou thought offhand as he ducked. Just like he guessed, he watched as the massive cleaver cut the air where he had been standing. Keeping low, he spun about, the reverse of his katana slamming into Kurosaki's shins as the shinigami was caught off guard by the sudden blow. Yoshirou watched as Kurosaki literally span in midair, the blow having knocked his legs straight from under him.

However, before he could make a move, Kurosaki tried to lash out with his foot, not able to bring his Zanpakuto to bear in time**. Well, he may have been taught how to fight it, but not how to use i**t Yoshirou thought as he easily caught the foot with his free hand, pulling with a mighty heave as once again he threw Kurosaki away. This time, rather than try to recover, Kurosaki flew through the air to land further away. Suddenly, Yoshirou sensed his opponent's total reiatsu drop, the focus of the force building massively into his zanpakuto. **Oh, this is-! **Yoshirou started thinking as Kurosaki shouted-"Getsuga Tenshou!" As Kurosaki swung his zanpakuto, a massive wave of reiatsu flew out from the tip, smashing through the ground as it arced towards Yoshirou. In response, Yoshirou quickly built up his own reiatsu, the glowing from his zanpakuto increasing in brightness as the wave of energy flew right at him, the wind pressure from the attack buffeting his robes as he stood his ground.

At the last second, taking his zanpakuto in both hands, Yoshirou tensed every muscle in his arm as he leaned into his swing, ramming his blade against the crescent arc of reiatsu before him, the roar almost deafening him at close range. He could feel the ground beneath his feet crack as he tried to stop the momentum of the massive attack, his muscles being tested against the force. However, with a loud shout, he managed to bring his strength to bear, slowly but surely forcing the wave back, much to the surprise of the onlookers. At the last second, he slashed downwards, the force of the swing cutting straight through the crescent arc, the earth splitting before his sword stroke from the cutting motion of his sword, the reiatsu burst splitting in two before him as they flew around him.

(P.O.V change)

Shinji smirked from the sideline's at the sight, Kensei's eyebrow raised at the power the Captain had shown. "Damn punk, was he not fighting seriously when he fought me? That much power without even releasing his sword…"-Kensei muttered beside Shinji. Shinji laughed at the words, but didn't comment when Kensei shot him a glare that could kill, instead watching the battle with curious eyes.

(P.O.V change)

Kurosaki could only gape in surprise at how his technique had been defeated by pure brute force, Yoshirou revolving his sword arm to free the muscle up again after the amount of force he had just used. Yoshirou had expected that he would need to release his Shikai to match Kurosaki's technique, but it had been weaker than he had expected, nowhere near the destructive force the one he had seen smash into the Espada. **Maybe he need's his Bankai to use it properly?** Yoshirou mused as he walked out of the small crater he had created while stopping Kurosaki's technique, deftly hopping over the small ravine his sword slash had opened in response. As he moved to some more clear ground, he noticed that Kurosaki was still gaping at him in surprise.

He coughed loudly to snap Kurosaki's attention back. Instantly Kurosaki brought his zanpakuto up as Yoshirou waited for his next move. Suddenly, Kurosaki shouted-"Just so you know, I'm going to get serious now! If you want to stop, then say so." Yoshirou laughed, bringing his katana towards his free hand. With a sudden swipe of his arm along the blade edge, and a loud keening noise, the blade extended, taking the massive form of Taiyou's Shikai, his reiatsu seemingly pulsing in response to the release as he started to meld his own reiatsu with the power emanating from his Shikai, his Reiatsu taking on a more vibrant golden hue as it increased in force. Kurosaki grinned at the sight as well, before swinging his sword before him, his reiatsu billowing all about him as he pulled on his full force, the ground cracking beneath his feet as the earth couldn't take the immense pressure. **As expected, in terms of reiatsu he's still amazing** Yoshirou thought as he watched the roiling cloud of blue increase around Kurosaki. In response, Yoshirou brought his own Shikai out before him, bringing some more power to bear.

Suddenly, Kurosaki's reiatsu vanished, the massive cloud seemingly sucked inwards, the air pulsing with pressure as he stabbed his zanpakuto forward, grabbing his sword arm with his free hand, the wrap from his zanpakuto spiralling tightly up his arm, Zangetsu glowing blue with the condensed reiatsu as he shouted-"Bankai!" Yoshirou had to bring an arm before his face as a tornado of air whipped all the loose rubble everywhere as Kurosaki's reiatsu exploded outwards, funnelling about him as it spiralled upwards.

Suddenly Kurosaki appeared before him, moving so fast Yoshirou's eyes had no hope of catching the movement, his transformed uniform billowing about him as his Nodachi Bankai stabbed forward, lancing at Yoshirou's body. Yoshirou didn't have any time to react, the blade tip laid neatly on his chest, claiming victory for the Substitute Shinigami. Kurosaki grinned up at Yoshirou from his stance, confident that his move had ended the match. However his eyes sprang open in surprise as he felt a hand tap the back of his head, despite Yoshirou also grinning down at him from where the Nodachi touched his body. "Try behind you"-Yoshirou said as the image Kurosaki thought he had defeated vanished before him, an after illusion created by Yoshirou's own speed. Kurosaki growled slightly as he realised he had just been outpaced by his foe easily, straightening up as he abandoned the pose he had taken.

"Well, that's odd, what happened to your Bankai's speed? I thought it was faster than that."-Yoshirou stated in honest surprise as Kurosaki turned slowly to face him. Kurosaki grunted slightly, before saying-"Isn't it just that your faster so it looks slow?" Yoshirou raised an eyebrow, before shrugging, careful to keep his Shikai to his side as he said-"Oh well, doesn't matter, I'm trained in hand to hand combat, I'm naturally faster than an average Zanjutsu type master." Kurosaki laughed in response, before putting a hand before his face. He then asked mysteriously-"Want to see if I can change that?" Yoshirou's eyes widened, before vanishing again, reappearing further away before Kurosaki could try his trick too close to him. Shinji suddenly shouted out-"Oi Ichigo, your not forgetting that ya only have 11 seconds right? If ya don't get him in 11 seconds, that's all ya get, your not goin ta be able ta fight after that!"

Yoshirou's eyes widened in shock as he felt the sudden change in Kurosaki's internal reiatsu as he started to build up his reiatsu to begin his transformation. The powers that he could sense moving within Kurosaki were colossal, the reiatsu he could sense untamed and wild, the hollow energy he could sense so strong and bloodthirsty he could practically hear it screech out at him, even though it was impossible. **That is a lot of power, no wonder he has a time limit** Yoshirou thought as he watched Kurosaki slowly draw his hand across his face, before he was hidden within a cloud of reiatsu, billowing ominously about him with an intense power. Just sensing the oncoming power drew a cold seat from his body, despite the fact that he knew this was only a friendly fight, the pure malicious feel of the energy he could sense felt like it might crush him. Wiping his forehead, he realised that he was tuning in too much to his sensing ability, what he could sense from Kurosaki's power, Kurosaki himself probably wasn't even aware of it.

Yoshirou realised he would have to get a bit more serious, had he not been on a mission as it was he would fight at his full strength, fighting against this kind of power would be dangerous if he did it half heartedly. As Kurosaki's power growth slowed, seemingly reaching its peak, Yoshirou expelled all of his breath slowly, before drawing all of his reiatsu inwards. Suddenly, the cloud of reiatsu about Kurosaki blew outwards with more ferocity, revealing the figure of Kurosaki. Yoshirou was surprised by what he could see, just like Kensei's mask was, Kurosaki now had a mask upon his face, his eyes glowing yellow from within the recesses of the Hollow mask, the skull like design accented by several strips of red along the mask. **Isn't that mask slightly different to the one I saw in Soul Society?** Yoshirou wondered for a second, before remembering the situation and bringing his attention back to the fight. Kurosaki turned to face him, before slowly drawing his blade to the side.

(P.O.V change)

"What the hell is that idiot doing?"-Shinji muttered as he chewed on a nail. He had expected something of the Kido Captain, perhaps a responsive growth of reiatsu, or something. He had actually hoped that he would get to see this Bankai of the Kido Captain, that Soul Society had put so much hope behind. While he believed that the Vizards and himself would be enough for Aizen, to have another card on the playing field was always good. However, rather than a Bankai, if anything the Kido Captain's reiatsu had weakened, paling in comparison to his foe.

However, although that was what Shinji saw, Lisa had suddenly become interested in the match now. In her memories, she had remembered seeing something like this before, although from what she wasn't sure. "Hey Hachi, what do you think he's up to?"-she suddenly said, startling the big man who had been watching the fight closely. Hachi took a big hand and rubbed his chin as he contemplated the question. He then said-"I may be wrong, but is he pulling all of his reiatsu within his body? Although why I don't really know…" Lisa's brow furrowed as she tried to remember whatever it was she couldn't. It suddenly came to her, her eyes widening as she watched Kurosaki swing his blade.

(P.O.V change)

Kurosaki simply swung his blade at Yoshirou, a massive wave of reiatsu slicing out from the blade instantly. **Getsuga?** Yoshirou wondered as he watched the crescent arc fly across to him, an ominous feel even from the attack as he could sense the hollow energy within. Yoshirou frowned as he started to build up his reiatsu, carefully confining it as he had been taught, channelling all of his energy within his blade and his body. As he did so, the light edge along his Shikai's edge dimmed, until it vanished altogether, leaving the Shikai without the edge to cut with. As the Getsuga lanced at him, his concentration fully on the attack, he didn't notice Kurosaki vanish, his movement so fast it slipped Yoshirou's notice.

(P.O.V change)

Kurosaki appeared behind Yoshirou, ready to attack again, his timing perfect from training this new combo time and again with the Vizards. However, what he never anticipated was the fact that his Getsuga Tenshou was now in front of him, scything through the air with it's distinctive ring as it flew straight for him. Surprised, Kurosaki was forced to dodge his own attack as it screamed past him, leaping over the arc of energy as he looked forward, expecting that Yoshirou must have avoided the attack the same way. However Yoshirou was still standing where he was, but for some reason the attack had passed him, seemingly without having made contact. **What's going on? How the hell did he avoid it?**

Kurosaki then noticed that the massive Shikai of his foe was held up, as if he had just finished a cutting move. But something looked wrong; the blade didn't emit any of the blazing light that usually came with its release, the keen edge which would cut through anything it touched. As it was, the blade was literally useless; he couldn't understand why Yoshirou had stopped the blade edge. However, he didn't really have time to think, he had only a few seconds before his power reached its limit. Ignoring the burning questions, Kurosaki decided to press the attack, to use his full strength to force Yoshirou to give up. Tensing his legs, he leapt forward, drawing Tensa Zangetsu back as he prepared to cut at Yoshirou.

However, even in the milliseconds before he made his move, he knew something was up. Yoshirou hadn't even turned to face him, as it was he was going to cut through him without Yoshirou even resisting. Kurosaki almost hesitated, not sure what was going on. However, thinking that Yoshirou had to have something planned, he decided to attack. As he swung his blade, the sword keening with the sheer power behind his attack, he saw Yoshirou move, lightly swinging his blade over his shoulder, his sword arm reaching over his opposite shoulder as he held the edgeless Shikai now in a blocking pose, vertically down his back. (1) **He can't block me like that!** Kurosaki realised with shock, but it was too late, he had committed all of his strength to the swing, he could only look on with shock as he realised he was going to cleave the Captain in half if he didn't try to dodge.

Suddenly his arms were jarred with shock as his Bankai collided with the Shikai before him, the air pulsing with force from the collision of the blades. However, Yoshirou didn't even budge an inch, it was if he took none of the momentum from the blow at all, in fact Kurosaki felt the impact stronger than he did, feeling as though his body was shaking from blocking a ferocious blow. **He reflected it!** Kurosaki thought with shock as Yoshirou suddenly spun on the spot, his blade still held in the air as it blocked Tensa Zangetsu's edge. Kurosaki then realised that the Shikai had started emitting it's usual glow again, but the blade edge was tiny, only focused exactly where his Bankai had been about to collide with the Shikai.

Underneath his mask, Kurosaki silently sighed in relief, the Captain did have a trick to stop his blade, although how he had managed to stop the massive force from his blade enhanced with his hollow powers was beyond his understanding. However, as Kurosaki drew his blade back for another attack, he noticed Yoshirou's pose was purely defensive, he didn't even try to make an attack while Kurosaki was pulling back, Yoshirou's eyes fixed entirely on Tensa Zangetsu rather than his foe. Kurosaki slashed again and again, trying his best to out speed the Captain, his reiatsu pouring out everywhere as he tried to bring his power to bear upon Yoshirou. But every time he swung, Yoshirou barely moved, putting his Shikai exactly where Kurosaki planned to attack but no further, his face covered with a sheen of sweat, his features contorted in some kind of deep concentration as he worked to methodically block Kurosaki's rapid attacks. **His movements are slower than mine, but he's moving so little he's able to keep up anyway!** Kurosaki realised as his blade rung out against Yoshirou's own again, his body feeling the shock of the impact more than his enemy, Yoshirou's every movement perfectly timed to stop his foe and nothing more.

Kurosaki could feel that he was reaching his limit already, the tiny time limit his mask had not enough to keep this fight up when his foe was fighting purely defensively. He was already out of breath from the amount of reiatsu using the Hollowification caused him to lose. In comparison, Yoshirou seemed to have lost no reiatsu, his strength still the same as it was when he released Taiyoukousen. Frustrated, he leaped back to get some space as he pulled on the last vestiges of his reiatsu, the monstrously dark reiatsu billowing out from his body and blade as he faced Yoshirou. Across the way, he could see Yoshirou waiting for him, at which rate it struck him. **I can't feel his reiatsu at all!** Kurosaki thought with surprise, while he knew he sucked at sensing reiatsu; he also knew that as a Captain, Yoshirou had a phenomenal reiatsu which he should have been able to sense easily, especially since he had removed his seals.

Suddenly, Yoshirou shouted out from across the way-"Your limit's nearly up, isn't it?" Huh? How could he tell? Kurosaki thought in confusion as he shouted back, his voice distorted through the mask as he shouted-"What does it matter?" Yoshirou smirked in reply, before his reiatsu seemingly exploded into life about him, light cascading everywhere to match the blackness from Kurosaki's own hollowfied reiatsu. As his Shikai was enveloped with light, the blade fully renewed as he swung it up, taking a stance that reminded Kurosaki of the way that he used Getsuga, Yoshirou suddenly challenged-"Wanna see who does better before it runs out?"

Kurosaki grinned beneath the mask as he watched the Captain, his reiatsu burning fiercely, causing his robe and Haori to fly about him as if caught in the wind, all of the nearby rubble disintegrating into dust as it was crushed under the intense pressure from his reiatsu. With a final warning of-"Don't go regretting this now!", Kurosaki roared in his hollow like voice as he pulled on his own reiatsu, the darkness spilling out anew to combat the light from Yoshirou's own reiatsu, his own Bankai robes flying about him in a mirror style to Yoshirou's Haori. Kurosaki couldn't help but be struck at how odd it was, with his Hollow like powers, black Bankai robes and black Reiatsu, he spilled out darkness while Yoshirou, a Captain of Soul Society, with a pure white Haori and a golden Reiatsu, emitted light everywhere with his powers. Putting the thought aside as he felt his mask start to give in, Kurosaki swung his Bankai in a massive arc as he shouted out-"GETSUGA-!", Yoshirou opposite him swinging his massive Shikai downwards as he shouted-"KYUTEN-!"

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou could feel the immense reiatsu spilling out from Kurosaki as he arrogantly declared-"Don't go regretting this now!" Yoshirou almost whistled in appreciation of the massive Reiatsu he could sense building in front of him as he pulled on his own reiatsu. **Jeez, he can pull out that much power straight after already training before I came here? I wouldn't want to try fighting him at full strength anymore, that power is monstrous. I would need to use Bankai to beat him if he went all out on me.**

_What are you talking about? If you actually fought all out your stronger than this, your Bankai would be far more than he could handle, and regardless, I thought you said you weren't going to waste any reiatsu?_

**Yeah I know, but I think it would be a shame to end this without a good test of our powers.**

_(Tsk) Men, all brawn and no brain, I thought you knew better._

**Guess I'm still a kid at heart then!** Yoshirou finished as he pulled on even more reiatsu to try and counter Kurosaki's seeming torrent of hollow power, his features tensing as he pulled more reiatsu to his Shikai, the Shikai vibrating with intense power as he prepared to use his move.

**Hey Taiyou, can you perhaps control the attack? I just want it to be a pure force technique rather than the usual counter style.**

_I could yes, but you really shouldn't bother with this_

**Please?**

_Oh yeah, being polite is going to change my…. Whatever fine I'll do it._

**Thanks Taiyou!** Yoshirou thought as he grinned, before shouting out with effort, pulling on every piece of his reiatsu he could gather, the air being pulled up about him in response to his reiatsu flow, causing the rocks to rise, be crushed under the pressure of his reiatsu, and fall as dust back to the ground. Soon enough the two warriors Reiatsu reached their peak, both roaring with their force is they battled for dominance over the other, the reiatsu seemingly fierce enough that they could grate off of each other. As he watched Kurosaki for the signal, he noticed a strange gleam seemed to pass through the now yellow eyes that Kurosaki possessed in his Hollowfied form, one that didn't seem appropriate for battle. Before he could wander what it meant, the burning resolve resettled in Kurosaki's eyes as his muscles suddenly tensed along his arm.

Recognising the sign, Yoshirou put all of his might behind his swing as he ripped his Shikai through the air, his eyes burning golden with reiatsu as he shouted out-"KYUTENSASU!", across the way Kurosaki shouting out in his warped voice-"GETSUGA TENSHOU!". Simultaneously their reiatsu flared to enormous proportions about their blades as they fell through the air, keening with their force as they seemingly cut the air before them. Both Tensa Zangetsu and Taiyoukousen exploded with their relevant Aruji's (2) reiatsu, massive arcs of light and darkness exploding forth from each blade, scything towards one another as they screamed over the battlefield, their collision creating enough wind pressure to throw back Yoshirou, Kurosaki and even the watching Vizards who had to brace themselves before the enormous forces before them.

Yoshirou breathed out deeply as he watched the clash before him, the twin massive arc's screeching with force as they tried to cut through their foe, seemingly growing in ferocity as they clashed, Reiatsu flying wildly all about the techniques. Across the way, Kurosaki dug his Bankai into the rock below his feet, desperately trying to avoid going down as his mask crumbled into nothing upon his face, his body trying to cope with the shock from the Hollow reiatsu having ripped through his shinigami body. Before the two of them, their massive techniques continued to screech and roar in turn as the massive accumulated forces tried to overpower one another. As Yoshirou watched the attack, he couldn't help but grin as he muttered quietly to himself-"Even". Just like he had said, neither attack seemed able to gain atop the other, the place where the two massive arcs connected seemingly melding as the reiatsu started to accumulate. Yoshirou's eyes opened wide as he realised what was about to happen.

"Crap!"-Yoshirou cursed as he wished he had made some more distance between himself and Kurosaki before they had made their last attacks, the two attacks were similar yet opposite, so they were about to create one massive explosion of reiatsu. He realised he had no time to avoid the explosion as the reiatsu started to build into a sphere before the two of them. The Vizards could only watch with surprise as simultaneously Yoshirou and Kurosaki were blinded by the reiatsu flash, before both shinigami felt the pressure smash into their bodies, their proximity causing both shinigami to be smashed away in opposite directions, sending them flying at amazing speed towards the nearby rocky terrain. Kurosaki could only hold his weary limbs in as he smashed into the earth again and again, the flat terrain not slowing him in the slightest as he tumbled again and again, delving a deep furrow everywhere where he contacted with the ground. Yoshirou fared worse, having a steep incline behind him, the force smashed him straight into the rock face, instantly burying him deep into the rock as the Vizards watched with shock, the entire incline crumbling from the force as he was buried under a landslide of boulders, rubble and dust hanging thick in the air about where the rocks settled.

Kurosaki finally slid to a stop, stuck at the end of a deep furrow of crushed rock as he wearily tried to pull himself free. He barely managed to get free, pulling his sword free from the earth as he slipped, pulling himself out of the furrow as he tried to find how Yoshirou had fared. He could see that the Vizards had for the most part gathered about a pile of boulders. Where he guessed Yoshirou had landed. Only Shinji standing near his furrow as they all curiously watched the pile of rubble for any kind of response. As Shinji put a hand out to help Kurosaki up, his usual grin still in place, Kensei shouted from the rock pile-"Hey, do you think he died?" However, no sooner than he said that, Kurosaki heard a mighty roar as he watched Kensei rocketed across the terrain at the same speed Kurosaki had just flown, apparently propelled by a massive beam of condensed lightening. Kurosaki grimaced as he recognised the technique, being the strongest Kido Yoshirou had shown him during his training, albeit seemingly tuned down compared to the massive energies that he had seen that day. As he looked for Yoshirou, he saw the Kido Captain walk carefully out of the massive tunnel his spell had drilled out of the rubble, his Haori billowing about him, seemingly unhurt from the massive collision as he shouted out-"Who the hell are you calling dead?"

Shinji couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight as Yoshirou's spell ended, Kensei left standing but rather charred from the effects quite a distance away from where he had been standing, several other Vizards also joining in as Kensei got started on his pissed expression, his knife Shikai flashing in his hand as he said-"That's it, I'm gonna kill you this time!".

(10 minutes later)

"Heh, your starting to seem really impressive now, how on earth can you withstand that kind of power in a shinigami body?"-Yoshirou asked Kurosaki as they both sat within the orange barrier created by Hachi. After the Vizards had managed to stop Kensei's fit of rage, Yoshirou had intended to leave, but was collared by Shinji before he could, forcing him to undergo a quick restorative time under Hachi's care. He hadn't actually considered asking Hachi to restore his lost reiatsu before he left, thinking only of keeping in time with the rest of his team, but he was glad that Hachi had offered to do so for him. It felt odd, having his power restored by a technique that had hollow reiatsu at it's core, but he was glad that his body didn't reject the treatment, another testimony to his unique abilities. Kurosaki shrugged in response to his question, answering-"I dunno, is it so strange usually?" Yoshirou paused as he thought about it, but before he could answer, Shinji piped in-"He'd be a pretty useless Vizard if he couldn't handle his own powers now wouldn't he?"

Yoshirou sighed as he looked back up at the ex-captain, his familiar smug grin on his face as he watched the two shinigami inside the healing barrier. "But, even if their still a bit immature, ta think that ya managed ta stop his Vizard powers that easily, what on earth did ya do?"-Shinji suddenly asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he watched Yoshirou for his response. Nearby, Lisa suddenly sauntered over, asking-"How did you learn that technique?" Both Yoshirou and Shinji looked at her with surprise, Shinji punctuating his surprise with a loud-"Eeeh? Technique?" Yoshirou grinned as he figured out what she was getting at. He shrugged casually, saying-"I learned that technique ages ago, it's just I haven't been capable of pulling it off right until recently." Lisa raised an eyebrow cynically as she replied-"I've only ever seen Kyoraku use that technique once, and nobody else, how could you have learnt it *ages ago*?"

Yoshirou shrugged as Shinji's head rapidly swung from staring at Lisa, and staring at him in turn, confused as to what they were talking about. Yoshirou sighed as he realised he was going to have to explain it to him. "Ryuusui Ken (3), it's a theoretical sword technique that requires complete mastery of controlling your reiatsu to fight your opponent."-Yoshirou explained, but Shinji's face only became more confused as he was obviously baffled by the explanation. Kurosaki could only look at him with surprise as he stuttered-"Y-You beat my Vizard powers by using a theoretical combat style?" Yoshirou turned and nodded, before suddenly recoiling in surprise at the sudden depressing feel he sensed from Kurosaki's reiatsu. Waving his hands frantically, he quickly said-"It's not something to be upset by! In terms of sword combat it's like a top tier style that uses your full reiatsu against your foe in one instant rather than the usual way of fighting, and it's a style only four people, including me, could even use!"

Shinji sighed in an almost aggravated tone as he said-"Forget it Yoshirou, once Kurosaki has his funk on, there's no snapping him out of it." However, underneath his grinning and façade, he couldn't help but be surprised by what Yoshirou was suggesting. That he could best Vizard level power with a purely Shinigami technique, and at that while only using a Shikai. Lisa had lost interest in the conversation, returning to her boulder where she quickly returned to her gravure magazine. Yoshirou shrugged as he said-"Well, it's still only a fundamental technique, it was devised as a pure defensive stance, if it weren't for the fact he was on a time limit, he would have worn me down eventually, it takes a bit of a toll on the body, akin to what his Bankai does if I remember right." Kurosaki perked up at this, now curious as to what Yoshirou meant.

"So, if I learn to control my abilities, I can defeat it?"-Kurosaki asked nonchalantly, but Yoshirou sensed the sudden competitive streak ignite within the Substitute Shinigami's Reiatsu. Yoshirou smirked as he realised Kurosaki had forgotten about his Bankai, but after a meaningful glance from Shinji, Yoshirou shrugged, nonchalantly replying-"Maybe, Maybe not." Suddenly, the barrier about them disappeared as Hachi sighed with effort, stating-"I've finished, but healing a Shinigami takes such effort compared to a Vizard, so I could use a rest now." Yoshirou grinned as he said-"Sure, I've got to get on the way anyhow." Beside him, Kurosaki sprang up, grabbing his cleaver Shikai as he did so, before shouting-"Fang girl, I wanna get back to training!" The result was instantaneous, as said Fang Girl suddenly appeared, trusty sandal held high as she shouted-"Stop calling me that, you dickhead!" Yoshirou cringed as he watched the beating, Kurosaki weathering the storm of blows as the minute Vizard kept on shouting at him-"The hell are you doing losing to a wimpy Shinigami, a fucking beanpole at that! You useless dickhead, I swear I am going to beat this training into you!"

Shinji chuckled as he grabbed Yoshirou's shoulder, quietly steering him towards the stairway as the rest of the Vizards watched the gruesome beating happening in their midst. As they walked, Shinji sighed as he said-"Jeez, your back f'r a visit an' all hell breaks loose in our little haven. Still, ya gave him something ta work towards now, so maybe we migh' be seeing some improvement outta our little Vizard-in-training yet." Yoshirou nodded as he continued walking, talking in quiet tones as he said-"He's gotten stronger than I thought he would, but is his power really only going to have that little time limit?" Shinji shrugged as they started to walk up the steps, saying-"I don' get it myself, he shoul' have improved his time massively by now, but he's takin' ages at it. We still have two months, so I thin' we should be able ta beat it into him by then. Maybe now you've given him something ta aim for we might see a bit more improvemen'?" Yoshirou laughed at that, not expecting that kind of line to come from Shinji. Shinji growled at him in a comic manner, before joining in his laughter.

As they both finished their laughing fits, just as they started to see the light from the warehouse, Shinji suddenly said-"Ya've gotten a lot stronger than ya let on, haven' ya?" Yoshirou looked back at him in surprise at the statement, before shrugging, repeating his line from earlier. "Maybe, maybe not." Shinji flashed his trademark grin in response, before saying-"I'm glad ta hear that tone from ya, ya didn't seem all that confident in yourself last time I met ya, but your practically glowin' now, not jus in power, but in your will. Jus don' forget, we all owe tha bastard, so don go thinking ya can hog the stage f'r yourself! Try that an I'll kick your ass before he can even try!"

Yoshirou laughed in response, while considering Shinji's words. As they reached the barrier around the exit, Shinji performed the unlocking sequence for him, before surprising Yoshirou. Yoshirou could only look in surprise at the hand that was extended before him, Shinji's grin practically splitting his face as he said-"When this is all over, ya can still consider ya'self a friend of the Vizards, we'll welcome ya back anytime." Yoshirou looked at him with surprise as he slowly said-"Shinji…" He then shook his head, before grinning to match Shinji. Grabbing the outstretched hand firmly in his own, he said-"Let's all go out for a drink when we've finished dealing with the traitor." Yoshirou then vanished, disappearing with a Shunpo as he left to return to his mission, leaving Shinji alone as he slowly curled his fingers back, chuckling as he turned back from the warehouse entrance, saying-"Tha's a promise"

* * *

**Well, thats chapter finished. I'm hoping I portrayed the charecter's okay, i'm not sure if the portrayel was correct or not. To say Vizard Ichigo= Yoshirou w Shikai is a bit of a bad way to put it, Ichigo was already tired out from training prior, while Yoshirou was holding back, not using any of his general fighting style with Kido. Sorry for those who wanted to see his Bankai, I don't intend to reveal it for a while yet. Also, you may have noticed but I focused a good deal of the first half of the fight on Kurosaki w Shikai. I hate his Bankai now, at first it was kickass and amazing, but now it only barely matches an arrancar's speed, while his Shikai hasn't seen the light of battle for ages, as such I focused more on Kurosaki weilding his Shikai than his Bankai. I did put that his speed increases in Bankai, saying Yoshirou couldn't visually track the movement, unlike his Shikai shunpo which Yoshirou was able to see. I put down that Kurosaki's main attribute in Shikai is power, Yoshirou with his sealed zanpakuto choosing more to avoid and parry than block the blade.**

**Anyhow this was just a fun chapter in honour of Kishi since (...erm... he or she? I really don't know anymore tbh, thought it was a guy at first, but there was a *squeal* in the last comment... NO OFFENSE MEANT BTW) was wondering what Yoshirou's new power was going to be like, this was just a example of whats to come.**

**Also, I named the new six unit members because I was going to feel bad constantly putting "6th Seat said-". Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely these six men will reappear as main O.C in the series; they are named just for this story arc since they are part of a team. All are able to use Kido and Zanjutsu on an average to pretty good level, they are roughly above the average shinigami, but they don't really reach the levels of the top four. If I feel like it, I may start to give them personalities to work with, but I have to be careful, with too many characters comes confusion on who is who exactly. As of the moment, there is no plans to give them any Shikai, but again that may change in the future.**

**5th seat:Kaito  
6th seat:Fuyu  
7th seat:Hideo  
8th seat:Takumi  
9th seat Yuuto  
10th seat:Nobuo**

**(1) Grr, I wanted to describe the pose Kurosaki used to block Byakuya's Shunpo technique at the Penitance tower, when he first showed he could counter Shunpo speed attacks, he held Zangetsu down his back, blocking Byakuya's blade.**

**(2) Rememeber the term? It's what the Zanpakuto call their partners, their *Masters* so to say, although neither Kurosaki or Yoshirou regard the term with any importance, Kurosaki calling his sword Old man, while Yoshirou's connection with Taiyou is a bit closer due to their circumstances.**

**(3) Ryuusui Ken-Flowing Water Sword-A sword stance rather than a technique that is self invented by me, I even devised a little history for the technique. Its principle is based on perfect control of Reiatsu to focus all of the fighter's reiatsu at one point, exponentially increasing the force of the one point of focus to extraordinary levels. With it, it becomes possible to completely halt an opponent's power, even with a considerable power difference. It also isn't solely based upon the sword, it being possible as long as an individual can control reiatsu about their body with pinpoint coordination, even to a fingertip (Sound familiar? _Flashbacks of Aizen stopping a certain persons Bankai perhaps?_)**

**However, the technique requires complete control of a persons reiatsu and is only suited towards people who have medical abilities (hence it's defensive nature, since Medical Shinigami have far greater control over their reiatsu than Combat based Shinigami, however it isn't used due to the need for a massive reiatsu to begin with, making it only theoretical, Unohana being the only medical person with the reiatsu for it) Either that, or people who have gone through a specific style of training that has enabled them to learn such control (The Sekkiseki stone cavern being where Kyoraku finally perfected it, and Yoshirou in turn). However, as with all UBER skills I make, there is a downside, Reiatsu Ricochet. When a person has a massive reiatsu, withholding it within the person causes intense stress to the body, it's the same way Kurosaki's Bankai allows him to use hyperspeed combat, however it's the next level up since the reiatsu isn't released during combat, constantly straining the spiritual body. As such, it's one Yoshirou can only use for short durations, however he can use it for longer than Kurosaki can use his Hollow mask initially, making it perfect to counter the Vizard ability without using Bankai (which, IMO, would cause overkill with the Bankai I have planned).**

**To make examples, certain techniques require reiatsu gathering skill. Starting from this chain, the procession would go**

**Zanjutsu skillHoho skillKido skillMedical skillRyuusui Ken**

**Taking skills into example, lets say**

**Getsuga Tenshou (initial)ShunpoGetsuga Tenshou (witheld)Kido spellsHealing techniquesRyuusui Ken**

**In basic, out of all the techniques that require reiatsu control, this is by far the most intense, so much so that Yoshirou could only use the skill defensively, and seemed to struggle with the concentration needed.**


	23. Chapter 22

**Heyo people, i'm afraid it's only a short chapter today, and not one where much happens. I'm probably going to be bogged down with essential work for ages after today so don't go holding your breath for the next chapter.**

**Random Rant (Ignore if you want): Earlier today, I went over the first half of my story in Part 1, following a very nice review from a axl88x (thank you for the kind words), and I realised something. My first part sounds so much better than the second part, theres much more in depth work, humour, and built up suspense throughout. Part 2 seems to be lacking this, and I was suddenly struck by a thought, *Is this what Tite Kubo feels like when he goes over the old SS arc and compares it to his arcs now?* Surprising insight moment lol, from now on chapter releases are going to be longer as I want to endeavour to revive the old feel this story had back then, before everything started to drag on, sorry if this delays releases. Also, SHINIGAMI GOLDEN CUP is suspended for a while, it may restart next chapter if I can think up of any ideas for it, but I wouldn't get your hopes up, i'm kinda sunk at the moment.**

**Anyhow, rant over, like I was saying, thanks for the reviews, favourites, story and author alerts axl88x, it's always nice to see somebody really appreciates your work, thanks. Same goes out to all fans of the story, your feedback really does help encourage me to keep this up despite my evil workload from Uni.**

**And with that, let the Chapter begin!**

* * *

The sun was hanging brightly over the seemingly peaceful forest as Yoshirou finally arrived, having tracked the waiting reiatsu of his officers to the site. As he landed softly on the grass, having arrived slightly later than he planned, he couldn't help but be struck at how odd the location of this nest was. There was no reason why any kind of hollow's would congregate so far away from any living area where souls could be consumed, let alone enough that a nest would be generated by them. **Tch, more proof that this is a trap** Yoshirou thought as he stretched his limbs, the muscles still a little bit stiff from the fight he had just finished despite Hachi's healing. The forest seemed so deceptively peaceful, nothing to suggest the presence of the hollow's nearby, but Yoshirou decided not to let his guard down as he walked through the grass towards the reiatsu he could sense nearby.

As he passed one particularly gnarled tree, he caught sight of two things. Amidst the open area that he could see, there was a definitely suspicious mound in sight, an ugly mound that seemed to look as if it had been burrowed into the earth by a large creature. **Most likely was** Yoshirou thought off hand as he walked into the clearing, his squad members dotted about nearby as they waited for him to arrive, the top three officers standing diligently at the ready near the seeming tunnel entrance, keeping an eye out for anything that might appear as the rest of the team readied their equipment. While at first he thought diligently, it seemed as though Kira was a bit afraid of the tunnel, judging from her stance she would rather be a lot further away.

**Crap, I shouldn't have brought her along** Yoshirou thought as he scratched his head, 10th seat Nobuo calling out-"Taichou!" as he noticed his presence. Sighing, he walked over to where a decent amount of his team had gathered, a large scroll having been lain out on the ground before them, pinned down at the edges by several stones. As he walked over, two others moving out of his way so he could get a decent look at the scroll, its writer, 5th seat Kaito, looked up at him with a serious expression. "Taichou, since we had some time before your arrival, some of us have used special mapping spells in an attempt to map out the general structure of the nest, this diagram is a rough estimate of the general network we can expect to find inside the structure." Yoshirou nodded slowly as his eyes scanned the diagram before him.

He had already made an estimate of the size of the nest, but was still surprised to see the massive structure mapped out before him. The network seemed rather complex, burying deeply into the hillside in a complex pattern, although the set out seemed rather more random than he expected. He was half glad to see the complexity of the network structure, while it meant they were going to have a lot more ground to cover, the more intricate a network there was, the easier it was to locate it's key stress points which they could collapse to destroy the nest. Just as he thought that, he noticed several additional markings along the map, suggesting area's which would be best to avoid due to the internal structure and the key points they could use to destroy the nest. Scratching his head again in surprise, he said-"Wait, how long have you guys been here?"

Fuyu looked up in surprise beside him, before saying-"Well about twenty minutes, Taichou, the journey took less time than anticipated, this area is seemingly within a recess so coming here was faster than anticipated." **A recess, huh?** Yoshirou wondered as he glanced about, seeing that the observation was pretty much correct. While he had used shunpo to arrive, he hadn't noticed the general layout, but it seemed the forest lay downhill of the nearby terrain, a river in the distance meandering about the edge of the forest as the water flowed downhill. **That's going to make any kind of retreat a bit easier, if we take the high ground to retreat that's an advantage, strange that a trap would be setup here then.** Yoshirou mused as he put a finger down on the scroll, softly tracing his fingertips across the routes, careful not to smudge the writing as he memorised the map.

As he continued to work, the men about him walked away towards their equipment, carefully arranging what they brought for when the incursion began. Yoshirou luckily didn't have to carry anything, one of the boons of being a Captain was that you were no longer the pack mule. Kira, Haneko and Tansho were all the same, each shinigami free of carrying equipment so they could focus on protecting the rest of the team better. It wasn't that Yoshirou had no confidence the others couldn't protect themselves, each of his officers were seasoned veterans with experience in this type of mission, many more so than him, but it made things easier if they worked in a group like this.

As he finished memorising the scroll, carefully lifting the nearby pebbles away before rolling up the scroll and placing it inside one of his robes pockets, he subconsciously checked his arm for his limiters before considering his plan.

They had a number of ways to go about this mission, as they always did. He could split the team up, making each unit head towards different points to destroy the nest quickly before the hollows could gather, but he instantly discarded this plan. He had seen from the evidence video that although the tunnel ahead of him looked deceptively quiet, no hollow reiatsu detectable at all from within, there was a massive amount of enemies within the nest. He then considered going in alone to do the job, but then discarded that as well. While he had no doubt that he could do it solo, if by any chance there was a strong foe in there, he would need someone to watch his back while he dispatched them. Another option was to try and work to call the hollows out and destroy them all before moving in, making the nest empty. This was appealing to him, but he discarded it as well, once again the problem being caused by the possible presence of strong foes and no guarantee the hollows would take the bait in the first place.

The only realistic option was to just go in with the entire group and destroy the nest. He couldn't afford a decoy tactic like he usually did, since any arrancar wouldn't be stupid enough to follow their instinct and go after the strong reiatsu when there was another team nearby sneaking about. **The problem is arrancar** Yoshirou thought as he sighed, chewing idly on a nail as he thought. **If they were all just hollows, just like the display Mayuri showed us all, then this would be a cinch, but the thing is hollows are stupid, they wouldn't be able to arrange an ambush like that, there must be arrancar of some type pulling the strings.**

Yoshirou sighed again as he leapt up from the soft grass, brushing stray blades of grass from his uniform as he did so. Nearby, the other shinigami saw his movement and started to heft their equipment, men carefully placing equipment packs across their shoulders as they checked their reach to their sword sheathes were uninhibited. Yoshirou smiled slightly at the sight, glad that he was leading a capable squad in with him; he could trust them to look after themselves. He strode forward to stand beside Kira, surprising his Vice Captain as he laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You okay, Kira?"-Yoshirou asked, seeing her gulp nervously before replying-"As I can be I guess, Taichou…" As his men started to gather behind him, standing a bit away to give him space, he asked-"You sure you want to come in with us? Nobody will blame you if you want to remain out here, after all we might need somebody to be able to contact Soul Society for us."

Tansho and Haneko watched her out of the side of their eyes as she hesitated slightly. They both knew that Kira had the least mission experience here, having only reached the top ten officer seats recently, this would be the first time she would be acting in a leadership role as Vice Captain, and this mission in particular was not a good one for a first mission. However, Kira shook her head defiantly as she said-"You choose me as your Vice Captain, Taichou, so I want to be able to reach your expectations, I've been training for this, so I can do this!" Yoshirou watched her expression out of concern, unsure over whether to order her not to go in or not, but after she turned her head to look at him, her features no longer fearful as she stared up at him, he smiled slightly, before saying-"I'm counting on you to watch my back then!"

(P.O.V change)

The room was quiet, asides the mechanical beeps that issued from within the monitors as Szayel watched the display with boredom. **So, he has arrived then?** Szayel thought with contempt as he watched the display before him, a Shinigami standing with his hand upon a seemingly fearful girls shoulder. **That's strange, I would have expected a different kind of man if he has gained Aizen-sama's attention **Szayel thought as his delicate fingers tapped out a series of commands into the monitor, the view screen growing as it focused solely upon his prey. The man was certainly impressive looking as far as his body was, standing head above his own men with his height, his muscles finely chiselled across his bare arms, compact rather than massive, showing the arms of a sophisticated combatant, not a soldier or warrior who fought with brute strength. Szayel could tell just from his posture this was a man who was not used to losing, his confidence in his own power shown in his stance, his eyes reflecting his strength, shining with a deep intelligence as well, even if they were showing some pitiful concern towards the woman before him.

**Still, you cannot judge a book from its cover** Szayel thought, remembering the records of Grimmjow's fight. While this man looked as though he lacked extreme strength, his fists alone held enough force to damage the body even through a Hierro as strong as the Sexta Espada's own, which could stop the Bankai of the Substitute Shinigami, another Captain level combatant. Szayel looked curiously at another graph as he quickly tapped in more commands to the device before him. He was surprised by the sight, the graph showed that the three Shinigami standing before the so called Captain were emitting a stronger reiatsu than he did, if only slightly. If anything, the reading showed the Captain was weaker than the people before him. **He must have a way to suppress his own reiatsu then** Szayel summarised, remembering the seal that the Vice Captain who killed his brother used.

His eyes then narrowed as he looked back at the display again, spotting something on the woman's arm. **A Vice Captain? Does that mean she uses the seal as well?** Szayel pondered as he flicked his eyes back to the graph, noticing the detectable reiatsu from the Vice Captain surpassed by a fraction what the detectors gained from the Captain. He watched the woman's expression, now showing some determination which pushed past the fear he had seen earlier, before chuckling quietly to himself. **No, she hasn't been limited; you can't affect a person's morale if you are the weaker entity. That must be her full power on the graph. But why is it weaker than the two men who flank her? Are they not lower ranked shinigami? This Captain surely has a strange sense in his subordinates.**

Szayel pondered this for a fraction of a millisecond, before deciding such information was unnecessary, there was no point in questioning the mentality of the Shinigami Captain, genius often was found among madness, and he knew he was a testimony to that statement. Rather than focus on his deductions, he carefully slid his fingertip along another panel as he adjusted the sensors to detect the audio output. While there was a certain thrilling joy in trying to deduce the plans of his prey, he felt it would be more enjoyable to pull their plan down around them, dipping the shinigami into despair as he foiled their attempts to destroy the superstructure his subordinates had made. **Your concern should be more on how to get out alive than anything** Szayel thought as he carefully ran a gloved hand through his pink hair, tucking the strands behind his ear so he could listen properly.

(P.O.V change)

As he turned about to face his squad members, Yoshirou took a deep breath, before starting. "All right guys, I'm sure I don't have to tell you all how the job works, we've been doing this for centuries and I know just from looking at your plan earlier, you already know what's required. However, and this is important, we can take no risks with this mission today." Some of the squad members raised their eyebrows at the last comment, their carefree captain rarely made warnings about caution, so something had to be up. Yoshirou waved a hand towards the unwelcoming tunnel entrance as he stated-"No doubt you all noticed, we can't sense anything from inside the nest, so our greatest problem will be ambush attacks, we don't know where they will come or when, so I need you all to keep your guard up. As always, you follow what I say on the spot instantly, no questions asked, especially today. Your already aware from your own observations there's a decent chance we are going to run into Gillians, so those are to be left up to the top four officers to handle, you are to guard your own backs and leave the serious fighting to us." There was a set of sighs at hearing this, 10th seat Nobuo in particular seemed to dislike the idea of Gillians in the nest.

Yoshirou sighed, unsure over whether he should continue with the warnings, the next one may cause some instability. However, he knew they needed to know the severity of the situation, so he simply said-"All orders are to be taken seriously and acted upon instantly, if for any reason, at any time, I order the squad to abandon someone, you must do so." Kira turned abruptly in surprise, horrified by the statement she heard as the rest of the squads features tightened, all having been aware of the severity of this mission now. Yoshirou regretted having had to say so instantly, the rest of his men were experienced enough to know when situations required difficult choices, but Kira had never been in a situation like this, after all Yoshirou had always worked hard to do his squads few missions almost alone, so there hadn't been a recorded death on a team mission for nearly a century. However, Tansho suddenly laughed beside him, instantly drawing the entire squads attention to him as Haneko stated-"Don't go worrying them like that, as long as everybody watches out for the person beside them, there won't be any problems. There's no way we are letting some measly Hollows beat the best of our Corps, are we Taichou?"

Yoshirou smiled slightly gratefully, the two men obviously more aware of what needed to be said than he was. "Obviously we aren't going to let them, everybody is going home tonight, we have the best of Soul Society at hand in our squad, lets show them what we got!"-Yoshirou declared, before turning towards the cave entrance and walking in first, the rest of the squad roaring in approval as they followed in behind him, the team engulfed in darkness as the tunnel swallowed them.

(P.O.V change)

Szayel couldn't help himself but chuckle at the ignorance of the shinigami as they strode confidently into the entrance. He was a slight bit annoyed that they didn't go through a plan at the start, but it would make analysing them more interesting. **So…** Szayel thought as he deftly switched the viewing monitors as they progressed, the tunnel seemingly illuminated by some spell or ability the team used. He instantly spotted the strange earpieces the squad members wore, not even hidden from sight. **Radio? Spiritual wavelength frequency more likely, Radio wouldn't be reliable if they split up within the compound** Szayel thought as he flicked his fingers across the console, preparing a jamming signal for use, before putting the operation on hold. **I'll wait until they have been split up before I jam the signals **Szayel planed, wondering what kind of expressions the seemingly confident fools would wear when they realised they were trapped alone and out of communication within the compound.

**If they gained the data from the last excursion the lower hollows killed, then they will most likely stay in a group for as long as is possible** Szayel thought, a smile playing across his face as he considered multiple plans to split the team up. **The Captain will be easy to remove; any sufficiently strong combatant will have him separate himself from the squad to protect them, foolish as he is. The female is the weak point of the team, she's strong but she seems inexperienced, if she is separated from the top three officers, then she will most likely panic, so killing her will be the lowest priority. **Szayel's expression changed as he watched two of the shinigami who had moved with the squads movements, one taking the back of the formation, one the front alongside the Captain. He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he considered **Military formation, for shinigami those two seem to be capable warriors, they will probably prove the greatest threat out of the shinigami, while the Captain is the most dangerous in combat ability, I have the data required to nullify his combat ability, those two shinigami are more experienced in leadership I would say, their deaths will need to be a higher priority.**

Szayel considered his options as he watched the monitors before him.** Well for now… **Szayel thought as he tapped out certain commands into the system** …we shall begin with testing out the shinigami, making any major move while they are still so close to the surface would be a waste of time, they have to move deeper within the compound without suspicion if this is to go to plan. **As he pressed the final order in, he stood up, stretching his arms out as he walked towards a different console. He could easily have accessed it from where he was, but sitting for so long was a nuisance to his body, movement was required so his body wouldn't become lethargic. As he walked over, he started to turn a certain dial on the new console before enunciating clearly-"Stark-san, it seems our prey has finally arrived." He waited for a reply, but nothing came. After counting slowly to five, he pressed the console again, stating-"Stark-san?" He nearly jumped in surprise as a loud female voice bellowed "STARK, WAKE UP!" A belligerent cry of surprise could be heard from the console as Szayel rubbed his temple slightly with one hand, trying to stave off the headache hearing that miniature nuisance's voice always seemed to cause.

**Well if he is at least awake, that will do…** Szayel thought as he wondered for what had to be the hundredth time why he was always forced to work with such useless individuals. Not that the Primera was useless, but his lax attitude frustrated him to no end. With a sigh, he turned another dial, changing the contact channel before waiting, the speakers putting out static. Communications across dimensions always seem to be faulty Szayel wondered, considering the multiple ways he could enhance the technology when he returned to Hueco Mundo before the signal cleared, and a suave voice answered-"I can assume that he has arrived since you are reporting earlier than usual?" Szyael took a slightly nervous gulp of air at hearing the voice, not having expected that man to have answered, normally the person he reported to was a different man. He took a deep breath, before replying. "Yes, Aizen-sama…."

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou breathed in slowly as he straightened up from slashing the last hollow down, quickly swinging his sword to throw the blood off the blade edge before carefully sheathing his zanpakuto, the remains of a hollow disintegrating into nothing before him as the remaining hollows ran away, gibbering weird shrieks as they tried to escape the butchery created by Yoshirou and his squad. Hideo and Yuuto made to chase after the retreating hollows, but Tansho quickly shouted out-"Don't pursue them!", so the two men skidded to a halt following their superiors order. The tunnel was splashed with hollow blood and burn marks from cast Kido, testimony to the fight they had just gone through. Compared to what Yoshirou had expected, the small encounter was lighter then he expected, the hollows relatively easy to destroy, even for the rest of his team, who were comparing their kill counts from the fight, talking among themselves as they followed Yoshirou's suit, some of them sheathing their zanpakuto while others keeping them in hand for in case of another attack.

Yoshirou was also surprised by the abundance of light within the tunnels, holes having been dug out to the surface that he hadn't noticed from outside. While light wasn't a problem for the team, since Kido could easily create light for them to see and fight by, it always felt more reassuring to know the light you guided yourself by was sunlight rather than spell light. **This feels like it's going too well** Yoshirou thought as he glanced about the tunnel, watching his other squad member's cheerful faces at having repelled the Hollows, morale now higher than it was before despite having gone through a battle. He had expected that the Hollows would attack en masse to overwhelm them, but while they had cut down a decent amount of Hollows, it wasn't near the tidal wave he had seen on the video Mayuri presented.

**Well, times wasting** Yoshirou thought as he clicked his fingers loudly, the team falling silent at the sudden noise as they turned to their Captain. Yoshirou sighed as he said-"All right boys, not much farther until we reach the first critical point, keep it together now, we still have a job to do." The men nodded as Haneko stepped forward to take his place behind the Captain, Tansho moving down the tunnel as he moved to guard their retreat path. Kira followed Haneko, keeping behind Yoshirou as he started to walk forward, keeping his senses open to detect any reiatsu around them. Just as he expected, he still couldn't sense anything, he was only able to detect the ambush less than 30 seconds before the Hollows attacked, although that was better than what he had expected, giving him ample time to get his men into formation to hold off the charge from the mass of Hollows. The men behind him carefully moved in formation with him, some keeping their eyes to the back with Tansho, the majority watching ahead of the tunnel for attacks.

Yoshirou had noticed something off hand during their fight. At one point he had used a spell to blast a hollow into the cavern wall, realising his mistake too late as the Hollow smashed into the cavern wall. However, there hadn't even been a sign of the cavern weakening, no accidentally started cave in, it was as if the cavern walls had been reinforced rather than being burrowed from natural rock. While it was useful that he didn't cause a cave in, this meant their plan was going to be in jeopardy. If he took the cavern structure into play, they were going to have to reinforce the spells they were going to plant to detonate the structure, which meant rather than quickly placing a spell at each place, their team was going to have to work together to protect the chosen spell casters while they worked to reinforce the spells at the structure weak points. This meant they were probably going to be ambushed when that happened. Yoshirou could only frown in annoyance at the prospect, once again reassured that something was going to go wrong somewhere.

As he turned to Haneko, he noticed the man's face was also serious, as if he had come to the same conclusion as his Captain. **Well…** Yoshirou thought as he walked about a particularly jagged rock **…worst case, I can order the squad to retreat and use my own power to destroy this place, but trying to escape before the whole thing collapses on my head does not sound fun. **Yoshirou suddenly noticed a reflection of light ahead of him, a pair of hollow like eyes watching him from the shadows, pouring out malice at the Captain, too afraid to try and approach on his own. Yoshirou sighed irritably as he stabbed a finger forward, a beam of lightning pulsing out towards the watching eyes as he fired a Byakurai spell. However, the explosion of rubble rather than the sound of impact on the Hollow told him he missed as the Hollow ran away, shrieking it's Hollow like scream as it disappeared into the shadows. **Great, now I have an annoyance watching me** Yoshirou thought as his men suddenly drew their zanpakuto's, expecting another attack since Yoshirou had cast a spell.

"Taichou, can you stop making us jump?"-Kira asked as she re-sheathed her own katana, having drawn blade with the rest of the unit. Yoshirou growled slightly before explaining-"We're probably going to have an observer for a while, that Hollow just escaped. Keep wary for any ambushes, hopefully we can kill him before another attack comes." The tunnel suddenly rang out with noise as Nobou cursed loudly, having tripped on the jutting out rock Yoshirou had managed to avoid, Hideo laughing as he caught the mans arm before he could fall. **Being ignorant of the real risk is bliss it seems** Yoshirou thought ironically as he continued forward, his team following him into the darkness of the tunnels.

(P.O.V change)

"Do you have any questions?"-Tosen asked as he finished explaining the arrancar mission to him. Ulquiorra's cold, passive eyes gave no hint of any misunderstanding or confusion, yet he asked-"What information do I relay to the assembled force?" Tosen glanced upwards, towards the podium where their ever present master sat. Aizen smiled coldly, as he replied-"You are free to tell them whatever you see is fit about the mission, Ulquiorra, as long as they carry out their roles adequately, you can bring any men you so choose with you." Ulquiorra bowed deeply, with a quietly spoken-"As you wish, Aizen-sama." The three Shinigami watched as the arrancar straightened his posture stiff as he moved towards the exit. As the arrancar left the room, the slight noise audible as the 4th Espada was accosted by his constant companion that he seemingly found in the 10th Espada, Gin exclaimed slightly as he said-"Y'know, I ge' th' feelin' tha' he was a li'l disappointed, Aizen."

Aizen raised a pencil thin eyebrow slightly as he turned to the fox faced man, asking-"What makes you think that, Gin?" Gin shrugged slightly, his grin still kept perfectly on his face as he said-"I ge' th' feelin' tha' he was kinda lookin' forward ta being tol' ta deal with our li'l obstacle, wha' with alla importance ya have been puttin' on him recently to Ulquiorra-san. I thin' he migh' prefer tha' more than pickin' up this li'l hime (1) ya seem entranced by." Aizen smirked slightly as he fixed his piercing gaze on Gin, making the man shiver slightly in apprehension.

"I am not interested in the human Ryoka in the slightest; it is all part of a process. Every step is a cog in the machination that is my plan, and Ulquiorra is the one Espada who will do everything as I tell him, he is the only Espada suited for an abduction mission." As Aizen said this, he slightly tilted his wine glass, watching the movement of the liquid as he continued. "The first step was to isolate the man who would present the biggest problem. The second is to launch a proper assault upon the Human Realm. With that, the human that they sent to Soul Society would return, where she will be most vulnerable during transit between the two dimensions. The reason why the Hikari boy had to be eliminated was that if he was present in Soul Society at the moment when they move the Ryoka to the real world, he would undoubtedly choose to be an escort. Even if Ulquiorra is being sent, I do not make a plan unless there is no chance of the plan failing, no matter where the Hikari boy (2) is, he presents an obstacle in the plan. As such, his elimination was the greatest importance for this plan to continue. With him gone from the picture, my plan can continue without a hitch."

"Hmm…"-Gin said quietly as he pondered Aizen's words. "…bu' don' ya think ya migh' be overdoin' it? After all, tha's two Espada sen' ta deal wi' him, th' Primera an' tha' scary scientist, it seem's li' a bi' much for jus' one li'l Captain." Gin suddenly jumped with surprise, Tosen also looking at Aizen with shock as they both heard the enigmatic man suddenly chuckle lightly, both men shocked at knowing their leader was even capable of such actions. Aizen shook his head slightly as he closed his eyes, his smile seemingly more genuine than normal as if he had truly been amused by Gin's words. Gin waited, as if expecting Aizen to explain his sudden change of mood, but Aizen remained silent, his all knowing smile still playing across his face as he drained his wine glass.

* * *

**Chapter over, if you haven't guessed by now, the timeline has the whole event running at the same time as the 3rd Arrancar Invasion, hence why earlier Kurosaki's limit was 11 seconds and why Ulquiorra is being briefed on the joint mission now.**

**Anyhow that's all until the next chapter, seeya all there!**

**(1) Hime-Princess, now I wonder what mission this might be?**

**(2) Hikari-Light, it's the original family name for Yoshirou, whose current name is one that he made himself. As any reader would know, Aizen discovered the entire history in Central 46 in the first half of my story, hence his continued interest in Yoshirou. I just used the term "Hikari boy", since Aizen seemed taken with calling Kurosaki "Ryoka boy", and I thought I would keep the naming sense going.**


	24. Chapter 23

**Personally, i'm quite surprised I found the time to write a few thousand words in two days, seems i'm starting to adjust to this stupid workload of mine, then again might be just that I didn't have any projects to complete this week *duh*. Anyhow, another chapter up, like I said i'm trying my best to put in more work into my chapter, rather than working on a speedy procession, I'm trying to delve deeper into each persons mindset, especially Szayel. Mind you, everything I have put down for thoughts on Szayel are all personal deductions, nothing in there is true fact from Bleach, since I have instilled a personal interest in Stark into Szayels thoughts (Stark is my second favourite Bleach dude behind Urahara)**

**Anyhow, enough chatting (wait up, just how many reviews have I gotten in the last few days? It's a bloody record, my reviews nearly doubled over three days, very surprising, thanks for all the positive feedback guys! And welcome to Freehawk, Jack and Marc, three of my anonymous profile readers, thanks for the added support! Oh finally, many apologies for having presumed you were a guy Kishi, I will endeavour to remember that I have female readers too)**

**With that, let the reading commence!**

* * *

"This is the first checkpoint, right?"-Yuuto asked excitedly as Yoshirou sharply raised his arm, stopping the process of the squad from continuing. They had reached a seeming crossroad within the tunnels, four paths extending away from them into the darkness, one leading back to the exit, three further into the nest. In the structure of the nest, this was one of the marked weakpoint since so many tunnels converged on the one point that the general strength of the rockface that the nest was carved from would have been weakened naturally. However, Yoshirou's face was grim, hidden away from the rest of the team as he laid one of his palms on the supposed rock before them**. I don't like the feel of the tunnel walls** Yoshirou thought internally as behind him, Haneko said-"Right, start preparations for the first incantation setup!" Kira watched her captain, deep in thought as Tansho joined his brother at the forefront, watching the remaining shinigami sort out who would do the first incantation by the most traditional method possible, a mass game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

**Not only is the rock reinforced, some kind of instinct is telling me to pull my hand back, not to touch this rock, it feels unnatural but I can't figure out why… **Yoshirou mused as he slowly drew his palm back, looking at the motes of dust that clinged to his palm from touching the rock surface. As far as he could tell, it felt exactly like a natural stone, same as what you would expect in a normal situation when a burrow is dug from the earth, but some kind of instinct was making him feel uneasy, and he was already aware of the likelihood that all of this was a trap anyway so he felt inclined to believe this was more than just a figment of his imagination. However, there was nothing he could do, except bring down the structure as planned, it would take some more work than he had predicted, but as long as he kept on guard there wouldn't be any major problems.

As he turned, he saw that his men had already whittled the contest down to two men, as Yuuto and Kaito continued to swing their fists down, both men consistently bringing out the same result in a bizarre twist of chance. Yoshirou grinned slightly as he noticed Kaito was actually cheating, his faster senses allowing him to see his foe's move before him, and copying to deliberately drag out the contest. Beside him, Kira had also noticed, but seemingly chose to let Kaito have his fun without interrupting, a small smile on her face showing that she felt happier knowing the rest of the squad were obviously in high spirits compared to her. Yoshirou shook his head slightly in exasperation, before joining the men. Just as both shinigami swung their hands down, tied in a rock pose, Yoshirou swiftly snatched out, grabbing both men by the wrist and surprising them.

"All right, since your both so eager, you can cast it together."-Yoshirou suggested, his audience disappointed that the interesting match had been ended abruptly. Haneko nodded as he added-"I have a feeling that we might require two people anyway, there's something wrong with the structure of this nest, it's been reinforced somehow. If we want to destroy this place, we will need a lot more power in the spells, and two people will get it done faster." The men seemed to take the surprising news better than Yoshirou expected, Fuyu adding-"Is that why we can't sense the hollow's coming? Is it some kind of Sekkiseki composite?" Yoshirou shook his head, taking upon himself to answer as Yuuto and Kaito began their preparations. "No, I doubt that or we would feel the effects on our body, it's something we've not seen before."-Yoshirou answered, Fuyu curiously touching the tunnel wall as if he could confirm what was wrong by doing so.

Yoshirou watched to see if Fuyu would say anything, but Fuyu just turned back from the wall with a puzzled expression, muttering-"But it just feel's like rock…" **So he didn't notice anything off like I did? **Yoshirou mused silently, lost in his thoughts as he tried to figure out just what this could mean. Behind him, Kaito and Yuuto started spreading out an incantation scroll in the exact centre of the crosspath, helped by Tansho as Haneko watched, making sure the placement was right. After a few minutes of adjusting, the men finally seemed satisfied by the results, carefully prying pebbles out of the nearby floor with fingers and sword edges to make sure the scroll stayed put.

"Righty, that sorts it, Kira-fukutaichou, how long do you reckon it will take to reinforce the spell enough?"-Yuuto asked as he straightened up, wiping the dust from his robes. Kira stuttered out an-"Err…I would…erm…" before Kaito dropped a fist lightly on the top of Yuuto's head, exclaiming-"With all respects to the fukutaichou, how on earth would she know the answer to that? We are supposed to be the experienced ones, not her, seriously how stupid can you be?" Yuuto cried out slightly, rubbing the top of his newly injured head as Kaito apologised to Kira, before asking the same question of the twins, who had watched the entire procession with interest. Haneko thought for a moment, before saying-"We can't be sure of how strong this structure really is, so best to charge it to the maximum, ten minutes at a minimum" Kaito sighed as he realised he was going to have to do most of the work, his weaker companion not having nearly enough reiatsu to spare for a ten minute incantation. Ignoring his frustration, he started to draw upon his reiatsu as he kneeled before the scroll, his hands forming a single seal as he started the incantation. Soon enough Yuuto joined him, his expression completely neutral as he focused his thoughts inwards.

Yoshirou watched as the reiatsu started to build about the two shinigami, before being sucked into the incantation, focused upon the scroll on the floor, before being channelled into the ground below the scroll. For a spell engineered towards destruction, in preparation it did have a certain eerie beauty towards it, each shinigami's reiatsu flowing from their body before spiralling about the scroll, slowly falling into the centre of the complex pattern written upon the spell scroll. Yoshirou's brows furrowed as he watched the procession, it wasn't something that could be completed with extreme reiatsu consumption, if it was he would have completed it himself, it was a slow process that had to be regulated carefully with no distractions to the shinigami casting it, and in this hellhole, there was no chance they were about to find this easy to finish. Yoshirou turned back, walking towards the closest tunnel, watching the Hollow eyes that silently observed within the tunnel, casting it's hatred towards the men, but staying far away, where Yoshirou couldn't kill it without splitting up from the squad.

Yoshirou growled slightly with frustration, the hollow had avoided every attempt he had made to kill it thus far, always hiding far enough away and within the shadows that all he could ever see was it's eyes. It had succeeded in making his men slightly nervous since even they had spotted the eyes hiding within the darkness, but no matter what Yoshirou tried, even flooding the tunnel with a tornado of fire with his Kido, whatever wily Hollow it was had managed to avoid death again and again, vanishing into the darkness the moment it sensed any threat towards itself. Yoshirou was tempted once again to go ahead of his squad and kill it, the damn thing was bad for the squad's morale, hanging about like an insistent threat, but Taiyou had given him a mental warning when he had attempted to pursue the creature earlier.

_Be careful, that Hollow could be baiting you, don't leave your squad members alone for any reason, it could be waiting for a chance to kill any of them, or to draw you away._

As such, he was forced to just grit his teeth and watch the eyes, hiding within the darkness as they seemingly taunted him. The only relief he felt was that no matter what, when they detonated the nest, that Hollow was going to burn with everything else, destined to either move onwards to it's next life in Soul Society or to fall into Hell. He didn't feel any real hatred towards the hollow, he had the lesson pounded into him at the academy to never hold hatred towards a Hollow, since they were all human souls in the beginning, but he was just annoyed that the damn creature was causing his squad problems**. Of course, that's not true of all of them** Yoshirou thought off hand as he remembered the rage and anger he had felt on some occasion's, when he had learnt just how evil Creedo was being one of them.

**Seems easier to hate them if their capable of speech** Yoshirou mused as he cast glares at his foe across in the darkness.

(P.O.V change)

"Impressive…"-Szayel mused as he watched the recordings from the hidden camera's located throughout the entire complex. He had been impressed at the clean destruction his targets had been capable of rendering to the Hollow's he had set on them earlier, every one of the Shinigami were definitely officer level at the least, the Captain had been wise enough not to bring any basic grunts with him. While they still seemed weak to him, it was clearly obvious they were each and all seasoned soldiers, the seeming twin Shinigami especially so, the destruction they wreaked had almost been a match for the Captain, all three seemingly taking out every Hollow that got within a five metre radius of them cleanly and efficiently. Just as he had predicted, the one person who seemed the most unsure was the girl, keeping close to her Captain for protection during the escapade.

What he had been truly surprised by was the clarity the Captain had shown, he was definitely young compared to the squad he brought with them so he had expected a certain streak in the mans temperament. He had planned an attempt to separate Captain from squad, but the Captain had refused to leave his squad unattended, although it was obvious the bait he was using was annoying him, he definitely chose to remain with his men. Also he had managed to figure out that the structure wasn't what it seemed, the fact that he had ordered the squad strengthen their spells being proof of this**. I almost feel a small excitement in dealing with him** Szayel thought as he felt his lips smile slightly. **He is certain to prove more entertaining than I had initially hoped, even now he's refused to be taken in by the relative safety of his current situation, remaining on guard against any threat; it makes ambushing them near impossible.**

Szayel tapped his chin with his fingertip in rhythm with the beeps that were coming from the terminal before him, thinking carefully about his next move. **Since Aizen-sama is already aware of the situation, he has undoubtedly begun his move on the Real World, it will only be a short time until his objective's are complete. **He sighed as he leaned back in his moulded seat watching the screen with a slight mournful gaze as he realised he wasn't going to have much playing time left at this rate. Sighing once again as he leaned forwards, his fingertips flying across the console, he thought **it's a pity that I have to already start ending this so soon, I would have enjoyed watching your hopeless escapade for a little longer, but if I want the data from the Primera, I must start now or there wont be enough time to collect the data.**

Szayel smiled once again, pausing before he touched the console.** Well, that's all well and true for the Captain, but I think I'm going to enjoy dragging the rest of his little squad into hell once the game begins. I'm not about to make their deaths quick. The only imperative was to make sure the Captain engages the Primera, the rest of his pathetic little squad are mine to hunt. **Szayel couldn't help but laugh at the thought of watching their last moments, lost in the darkness without any hope as they died pathetic deaths. He wondered whether cutting their communications would be more enjoyable or not, watching the reaction of the young Captain as his allies screamed their last would be worth keeping the communications intact. However, he then remembered the initial reason why he wanted communications cut, so that the team would realise they were truly alone in their hell, and that was what made his mind up.

Carefully tapping out a new set of instructions, Szayel smiled to himself as he pressed the final command.

(P.O.V change)

"What the…"-Yoshirou muttered in confusion. The Hollow eyes that had been watching him for so long vanished, disappearing into the darkness with the creature's body as if it no longer wanted to watch them. Yoshirou felt some slight confusion, there was no reason why the Hollow would draw back, he hadn't even made another attempt to kill it at the rest of his squad had also given up on the creature, just ignoring it as they stood about the pair within the centre of the cross roads. Yoshirou opened his senses again, trying to see whether he could follow the Hollow's movements, but once again he could sense nothing, struck by how odd it felt to feel no reiatsu about him, almost as if he had lost his sight, it had been a power that he had taken for granted, that he could never be surprised and he could always find his foe since he could always sense their presence.

**Still, why did it run?** Yoshirou wondered, the darkness of the tunnel offering him no answers. **There's no reason to…unless it was told to?** Yoshirou thought on this for a second, before it slowly dawned on him, his eyes opening in shock as he realised it.

**He was told to pull back!**

"Everyone, on guard now!"-Yoshirou shouted as he ripped his Zanpakuto from its sheath, quickly reaching an arm up to his sword arm (1), unclipping the first of his five bands. Tansho and Haneko started in shock as they suddenly saw their Captains reiatsu swell outwards. However they froze for only a second, before glancing at one another and nodding quickly. Both men moved simultaneously, Shunpo'ing to opposite tunnel entrances as they pulled their own zanpakuto free from their sheaths. The rest of the squad weren't quite as fast, looking at their Captain in confusion, before looking past him as their captain raised his free arm. The tunnel was full of glows from Hollow eyes, as a massive storm of Hollow suddenly ran screeching forward to kill the Shinigami, all three tunnels besides the one they had come from having a horde of it's own. The men could only shout in surprise, making vain attempts to draw their zanpakuto before the Hollows would reach them. Even with the Hollow just about to reach them, none of the Shinigami could sense their presence, not a single bit of Reiatsu could be sensed from the massive horde of Hollow.

The ambush was perfect, the entire horde was atop of them before a single Shinigami could sense them. It would have been a massive strike to the squad, had it not been for Yoshirou's quick thinking. "Hado no. 63, Raikohou!"Yoshirou shouted, his arm shaking with force as he unleashed the massive blast of energy into the wide tunnel, the blast eating it's way through the Hollows, completely wiping out the initial Hollow charge as they screamed in agony, consumed by the lightning force from the spell and incinerated into nothing. The squad behind him could only marvel at the pure havoc his spell had created, a single spell so massive and destructive that it had consumed easily around thirty hollows in one go, if not even more since they couldn't see the entire expanse of the tunnel.

Nearby, Tansho and Haneko shouted out in unison-"Hado no. 33, Soukatsui!", walls of pale blue flame burning through the tightly packed horde in their tunnels, by luck smaller than the one Yoshirou was guarding. While nowhere near as impressive as the power that their Captain had just displayed, it did the job just as well, incinerating the Hollow's with it's force as they screeched in pain, trying to retreat from the wall of flames and creating more panic among their comrades. In the minute lul as the flames and lightning created by the shinigami's spells died down, the Hollow's massing once again for another charge, Yoshirou shouted out-"Kira, Nobuo, guard the exit path! Takumi, support Haneko! Hideo, support Tansho! Fuyu, cover Kaito and Yuuto!" The men hesitated, before jumping into action, Takumi and Hideo running to stand alongside their respective men, Nobuo urging Kira into action as Fuyu stood, sword drawn beside the two Shinigami still focusing upon their incantation.

Yoshirou focused as he watched the horde before him reform, the Hollow's charging forward. At the last second, he activated his powers, his reiatsu flaring widely as his body emitted an intense blazing light. All of the hollow's screeched to a halt within the three tunnels, screaming and clawing at their masks as they were blinded by the intense light. The shinigami purposefully kept their backs to the blazing light, charging forward into their respective tunnels as they started to cut through the blinded hollows, Yoshirou charging forward as well as his sword cut massive bloody swathes out of the Hollow's before him, the Hollow's screaming as they disappeared before his blade. **There's far more than before this time!** Yoshirou realised with surprise as the Hollow's started to crowd forward, trying to swipe at him with claws, tails and other assorted limbs as he cut through the masses. **And I didn't sense them at all this time! **

Suddenly, Yoshirou saw three Hollows leap at him simultaneously, all intent to kill him as they screeched their battle cries. Yoshirou brought his arm back before quickly hurled his zanpakuto with all his strength. The first hollow screeching in surprise as it was impaled upon the zanpakuto, catapulted back with the brute force from the throw, the sword continuing to impale another Hollow behind him as the katana threw the Hollows into more of them, knocking back even more. Sensing their chance, the last two Hollow's went to attack, triumphant screeches as their claws descended upon him. However, they didn't realise until too late the Captain was suddenly a lot closer than they had realised, a hand grabbing onto each of their masks. They didn't manage to think of anything else, spells smashing into their masks as Yoshirou used Sai, both Hollow's repelled away from his hands as they hurtled into the cavern rocks, their bodies falling to the floor broken as they started to disintegrate.

Another hollow leapt at him as he drew his hand forward, his arm stabbing out at the Hollow. The Hollow threw itself out of the way of the stabbing hand, thinking itself having survived, but it suddenly smashed into a beam of light coalescing from his other hand, his zanpakuto reappearing as he summoned the blade. Before the Hollow could do anything more than screech, Yoshirou ripped the blade up, cleaving it's mask in half before he leapt forward at the remaining Hollow's, shouting his own battle cry loudly as the Hollows shrieked in fear of destruction, their eyes burning from the light as Yoshirou descended upon them like a fiery deity.

In the other tunnels, Tansho and Haneko carved a path through their own foes, every precise stab and slash drawing blood and lives from their foes, black blood spattering the cavern walls as they methodically butchered the Hollow's before them, the shinigami who were supposed to support them only able to watch in wonder as each man filled their tunnel with more and more dead Hollow bodies. Kira felt slightly left out as her own tunnel was just as predictably empty of foes; no Hollow's having come from their path previously. While she didn't enjoy killing, she felt like she wasn't contributing anything to their team, just being left in the position where she was safest.

(P.O.V change)

"Wonderful, amazing, perfect."-Szayel hummed to himself as he watched the butchery from afar. He was surprised that the Captain had so easily picked up the sign that he had left for him, Szayel having ordered the observer back as a sign of an impending attack to the Captain. While he knew he would have been immensely disappointed if the Captain had failed to detect the attack, the accompanying screams of pain from the surprised Shinigami would have been worth it. Just like he thought, the Hollow's were no match whatsoever now that the team were prepared for attack, the lead Shinigami singlehandedly sealing each tunnel with their martial prowess. Just as he had predicted, the Captain had been holding back some of his power, the power nearly doubling suddenly in detectable output when he realised the ambush was coming.

Szayel hummed again to himself in satisfaction as he manipulated the controls, bringing back the video clips that led towards the Captain's growth in strength. He knew the hint to the Captains power would be hidden in those few seconds, and he was determined to discover the answer. He knew there was some kind of mechanism behind it, but the reports on the Captain had never shown this before, the Captain believably at full power when he fought Grimmjow. This also confirmed for him that the mechanism had levels to it, while the Captains power right now was immense, enough to possibly rival even a weak Priveron; it still fell short of the recordings from the battle with the 6th Espada. Szayel smiled with excitement as he considered the possibility that this Shinigami might even had not been at full power when he fought Grimmjow, the idea of seeing his full power enthralling the scientist with excitement.

**That's highly unlikely though **Szayel thought as his scientific mind finally won out over his excitement. **There would be no reason as to why the Captain would face an Espada without using full force, so the likelihood that he was limiting his power when the initial data was recorded is highly unlikely**. As he watched the Captain's actions replayed in slowed down motion, another thought occurred to him. Eyes not straying from the video, Szayel managed to tap in a new set of commands as he brought up another data segment on the displays. Like I thought…. Szayel thought as his eyes rapidly flashed between the two screens, his mind capable of processing information from both simultaneously. His Reiatsu is different from what's recorded, when he fought Grimmjow he had one Reiryoku signature signature, now it's different altogether, like a different man is standing here, what's going on? He then noticed something on the video screen. In an instant he froze the image, before enlargening.

"Ah, so that's the mechanism"-Szayel said softly to himself as he looked at the blow up image, the Captains hand pulling at a band around his sword arm. As he advanced the video frame by frame, he saw his reiatsu spike as he pulled the band away, no longer concealed**. So he has levels that he can use it to equating to how many bands he wears? **Szayel thought as he leaned back, tapping his chin thoughtfully. **Although his base reiatsu doubled initially, I doubt highly that the band's work in a logarithmic exponential (2), most likely they separate his power as a whole, meaning this must be roughly a third of his power with his Zanpakuto in a sealed state.** Szayel suddenly froze as he realised what he had just calculated, before his mouth opened slightly in shock. He then shook his head, his wild thoughts obviously having gotten out of control. **No, that theory must be wrong, the bands must work differently, there's no way that calculation could be correct it's impossible for a Shinigami to be that strong, that would make his full strength exceed even the Primera if that was correct.**

Szayel sighed with frustration as he continued to try and figure out the puzzle behind the sealing mechanism, his prior theory already discarded within his mind as impossible. Instead, he deleted the files he had brought up, returning the screen back to the live action view as a malicious smile stretched over his face. **Now, let us begin…**

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou could feel his arms start to tire from constantly swinging his katana into his foes, he couldn't count how many Hollows he had already slain in his own massive tunnel. **I forgot your sealed form has weight to it, I'm not used to wielding a heavier blade for so long…**

_Are you calling me heavy?_

**Never!** Yoshirou quickly replied as he leaped upwards, cutting down a flying Hollow that had tried to go above him, intent on the softer targets behind him. **Just need to get used to it again, that Bankai training has messed up how I use my muscles a bit, just have to adjust.** As he landed, the seeming bird like creature crashing into the ground behind him, he thrust an arm out, a massive barrier extending across the tunnel entrance as he mentally summoned a massive Enkosen shield, spanning the entire tunnel width. As he straightened up, he suddenly felt a surge in reiatsu along his sword arm, before realising his muscle no longer hurt him. **Hey, forgot you could do that! Thanks for the help.**

_If you had called me heavy, I would have refused to help._

**Thank god I didn't, don't worry I'll get reused to swinging your sealed form after this mission. **Yoshirou assured his zanpakuto as he turned to see the condition of the other Shinigami, ignoring the hollering screeches from the massed Hollows as they hurled themselves futilely against the shield. Across the way, the incantation for the spell was almost finished, the two shinigami quickly forming memorised hand seals as they moved to seal the remaining incantation. Tansho and Haneko had just finished clearing out their tunnels, the Hollows apparently having chosen to retreat rather than go in the smaller tunnels where they had less manoeuvrability to get around the two Shinigami stood before each tunnel. Kira was standing beside Nobuo untouched, like Yoshirou had guessed, it was unlikely that Hollows would have come from the retreat path so Kira wasn't involved in the fighting.

Yoshirou sighed as he stretched one of his arms, turning back to the massive ad-hoc barrier he had erected, preparing to remove it and finish off the remaining Hollow. However, a sudden shout of alarm, followed by a cry of pain made his heart freeze. He spun on the spot, searching desperately for the source, and found it immediately. Nobuo was stumbling back, blood flying throughout the air from the massive slash through his free arm, his face paling in surprise from the sudden attack. Standing before him was a large Hollow, massive muscles springing out of its powerful legs, huge armoured claws and a strange bulbous mask on it's face, most likely an Adjuchas if it had beaten an officer so easily, its mask twisted into a grin as blood ran from the claws it had used to open up the shinigami. **SHIT!** Yoshirou thought, realising just how naive he was for not expecting a surprise attack from the supposedly clear retreat path, watching as the Hollow now turned towards the shocked Kira, who had also frozen from the sight of Nobuo falling. Yoshirou was about to move into Shunpo, to finish off the Hollow before it could even think, his anger blinding his thoughts as he zeroed into the Hollow standing massivly above Kira. He didn't hear the crack as his barrier was broken by an unexpected attack behind him, something a lot stronger than the average Hollow barrelling through it as it rushed at Yoshirou's blindside.

"Taichou!"-Tansho suddenly shouted, bringing Yoshirou's attention back to normal as he suddenly realised just how loud the Hollows were behind him. **SHIT!** Was about all he could think of again, before a massive Hollow smashed bodily into him, charging itself and Yoshirou into the cavern wall, causing the supposedly reinforced wall to crack with the force of the impact. As this happened, the Adjuchas who had easily defeated Nobuo turned it's sights on the horrified Kira, it's claws descending as it planned to make another kill. Kira, frozen with shock, could only watch as the claws descended upon her. However, it's claws rang out as they met blade, Fuyu having moved to the fukutaichou's defence, dropping to one knee as he barely managed to stop the force from the Hollow's attack, his zanpakuto feeling like it might break just from blocking such strength. The Hollow recoiled in surprise, but even then was still too quick for the 6th Seat, suddenly pulling it's claws back as it smashed it's arm bodily into the Shinigami, Fuyu sent flying towards the wall, the impact causing him to fall unconscious immediately, his zanpakuto falling through the air as he lost his grip on the blade.

Across the other side of the tunnel, the second Adjuchas leered in victory as it pulled back from the wall, staring at the crushed Captain it had smashed into the wall, obviously dead from the force he had hit it. However, it shrieked in surprise as the Captain easily pushed away from the crater in the wall, an anger filled eye fixed upon the Adjuchas. Suddenly, a massive wave of reiatsu flew out from the captain's body, literally smashing into the Adjuchas and hurling it at mach speed back down the Tunnel it had come from, screaming as it careened into another cavern wall, it's body breaking apart with blood spraying everywhere from the impact, the wall collapsing atop the Adjuchas's broken body, the cave in sealing the massive tunnel he had been guarding instantly.

As unconsciousness claimed Fuyu, the Adjuchas decided to finish him off rather than bother with the defenceless girl, closing on the recumbent Shinigami, its claws raised to finish his life. However, once again it failed to reach its target, this time completely stopped as a pair of swords blocked its claws, the two men looking upon the creature with fury as their blades crossed, stopping the Adjuchas's progression. Within a flash, the blades separated from one another, respectively lancing forward to impale the surprised Adjuchas. However, the Adjuchas managed to spring back in time, the blades only cutting through the sides of it's torso as it screamed in pain. Before it could even think of attacking again, Haneko and Tansho went on the offensive, Haneko cutting low at the foe's legs, Tansho leaping over his brother as his sword angled down at the Adjuchas's head. The Adjuchas knew these foes were going to be too much for him, so it jumped away from the attack, the zanpakuto's cutting through empty air rather than hollow, the Adjuchas focusing all of it's massive leg strength into running rather than fighting the two Shinigami.

However, just as it thought it might escape, the twin Shinigami opting not to pursue, it was suddenly smashed into the wall by force, one of it's limbs flying away in a seeming explosion of blood as a sword sliced through it's reinforced claw with ease, the blade edge glowing a translucent gold as Taiyoukousen cut straight through the armoured limb with ease. The Hollow shrieked in pain, but didn't falter, its powerful leg muscles catapulting the hollow into the darkness, abandoning its arm as it focused entirely on running. Yoshirou spat some blood out of his mouth, his bitten cheek being the only injury the former Adjuchas had succeeded in giving him as he growled-"You're not getting away this time, Hollow!" Swinging his now released Shikai to his side, Yoshirou charged after the running hollow, Haneko shouting-"TAICHOU!" after the fast vanishing Captain, swallowed instantly by the darkness of the tunnel, only his glowing zanpakuto visible as he chased his foe.

Haneko cursed under his breath as he considered his options. Yoshirou's attack had sealed the tunnel where most of the Hollows had been attacking from, in turn saving them and causing a problem as they had planned to proceed down that corridor next. As it was the team were safe, Tansho trying to wake the unconscious Shinigami as Kira had recovered from her shock, now pulling bandages from her own supplies as she tried to stop the bleeding from the massive slash out of Nobou's arm. Haneko cast a look at the group, before casting another at his fast disappearing Captain. "Damn, he always flew off the handle too easy when he saw an ally injured…"-Haneko muttered, before shouting out-"Brother, guard the squad, I'm going to fetch our Captain before things get too far out of hand!" Tansho nodded in confirmation behind him as Haneko ran into the darkening tunnel, chasing after the fast disappearing light from his Captain.

(P.O.V change)

Szayel shook his head with amusement as he watched the debacle unfold. Just like he thought, the Captain let his guard down along the path back to the exit, since common sense said no Hollow's could come from an area they had already cleared. However, that was moot point once you considered the possibility that the tunnels weren't fixed anyway, easily manipulated by the console that he was using. While he was disappointed that no real casualties had occurred from the Adjuchas attack, Arbalest destroyed before he could do more than temporarily inconvenience the Captain, Critin (2) had done his task perfectly, having been the Hollow who had been observing the squad the entire time, he picked the most opportune moment during the engagement to attack, when every bodies guards were down.

Now, Critin was completing the last requirement with luck and skill, his enhanced legs allowing him to barely stay ahead of the vengeful Captain as he led him on a cat and mouse chase towards the prepared area. Szayel almost considered it a pity that Critin was now destined to die, there was no way he could escape this vengeful Captain, the look of rage distorting the Captains face easy proof of this. **If by some miracle he does survive, I'll put his name forward to be changed into an Arrancar, I could use such a resourceful subordinate far better than my own men** Szayel thought as he tracked the Captain's progress, carefully manipulating the paths as he led both Hollow and Shinigami towards the trap. It was a slight hitch that a second Shinigami had joined the chase, he had expected the twin Shinigami to remain protecting the squad, but one of them had followed their rage filled Captain, obviously hoping to bring him back before he ran into an ambush.

**Well, this will make things slightly more amusing** Szayel thought as he hummed to himself again, considering ways that he could break up the two Shinigami. As far as he could tell, if he just extended the tunnel far enough, the Captain would outpace his pursuer eventually, but that felt immensely unsatisfying. As he considered this, he stood up from his console, moving to the communications terminal again, now realising that it was indeed slightly annoying to have separated the two. Realising he would need both together during the upcoming battle, he rerouted the commands from the communications console through to the main terminal. **Now I just have to remember to take a break every once in a while** Szayel mused as he returned to his seat, communications now available with the rest of the control over the facility.

He hesitated before pressing the button, stealing his ears for in case of any outbursts again before asking-"Stark-san?" There was a few seconds of silence, before a gruff-"Yes?" answered. **Seems he managed to remain awake this time…** Szayel thought as he heard the background noise from the miniature demons complaining beside the Primera. Szayel cleared his throat before saying-"It wont be long before I send the Captain over to you, just a few tests to run and an interesting trap and then he's going to be all yours." Szayel heard a rough sigh from the Primera, before he answered-"Y'sure there isn't anyway you can just keep him busy and report that I fought him?" Szayel smiled slightly to himself thinking how odd it was that the Primera, the Espada with the most combat power out of all of them, was also the one most reluctant to fight. He wondered for a second if, just in the way his mind broke slightly when he became an Arrancar, did the Primera's instinct for battle break when he became an Arrancar.

Unfortunately, he knew he would never know, Stark was the only natural Arrancar remaining among the Espada, having literally evolved into a state of perfection that no amount of induced Arrancars could surpass. As such, there were no records of the time when Stark was a plain hollow, although it didn't take any speculation to believe that Stark had to have been a Vasto Lorde before he became an Arrancar, the fact that a natural mask breaking had evolved into such a perfect and complete specimen of Arrancar proof enough, one so perfect that he was the closest match to human among all the Arrancar, the only sign that gave him away being his companion and his need to show his mask remnants and Hollow hole. Szayel remembered the day they had first met, when he had watched Aizen return to Los Noches with the Arrancar, even Szayel was shocked at the sight. With his brown ragged cloak covering his body, there was no way to tell that this Arrancar wasn't human from sight.

Once again, Szayel felt the urge to dissect the Primera, to learn everything he could of the story of his past that would appear from what he would find inside the Primera's body. However, he pushed the thoughts aside as he answered-"I'm afraid not, Stark-san. Personally I have a professional interest in seeing you two fight, so I will be following Aizen-sama's orders perfectly, as should you, in all respects Stark-san." Szayel heard the Espada sigh in frustration again before relenting as he said-"Alright then, just take as long as you can though, I don't fancy fighting at all, but if I must I want to make it as short an encounter as possible before we have to retreat." Szayel nodded to himself in satisfaction as he went to turn the communications off. However, his finger hesitated on the button, before he thought of adding one last thought. "He's strong, this Captain…far stronger than any Shinigami I have seen or held records for outside of Aizen-sama… Just thought you might want to know that, Stark-san."

There was silence across the radio, even the girl having kept quiet as she overheard his words. Then, Stark quietly responded with a-"Hmm…" (3)

* * *

**Chapter over! Man that took some work, trying to work from Szayel's mindset is almost as difficult as trying to work in Aizen's mindset. I'm trying to capture the feel that Szayel is a very curious person, always interested in the challange presented in examining something new. His thought patterns are more complicated than normal, having lots of theories and complicated terms, but he also has the hint of madness, certain excitement from seeing things, vague, disturbing thoughts hidden in the reccesses of his mind. I don't know if I got that across in my words, but I hope I did.**

**As I said in my previous chapter, i'm working hard to change the quality of my text, to make the peoples persona's more in depth, as if you could imagine the same things as they do, be in the same situation as them. If however, you don't like this new style, then please tell me, if this new style kinda puts you off, I would rather work with my viewers in mind than just plow away in a style people dislike. Anyhow, cya all next chapter!**

**(1) Szayel mathematics 101, Logarathmic is a particular pattern which numbers can follow, based off of a particular unit, alike to 2 square and 2 cubed, and upwards to 2^4, 2^5. In layman's terms, it means that his power will double every time a band is removed, resulting in stupidly high levels at it's maximum (being 32 times his base level reiatsu, where his base level is almost as strong as Ichigo Shikai while he's not using his all, so it would make him literally 10-15 times base Captain reiatsu, in comparison, Bankai Ichigo at his full strength after beating Ulquiorra is 2 times Captain reiatsu, making Aizen look like a full out weakling when Yoshirou has his sword sealed.)**

**As such, Szayel is saying this is not the case.**

**(2) Arbalast and Critin were just random names I thought up of for the Adjuchas, nothing special. There are no previously named Adjuchas, so there's no precedent for naming them, sorry if the names sound odd.**

**(3) ack, didn't know how to verbally respond with a deep in thought tone, hope this worked. Also, by held records, I mean the ones from the second Arrancar incursion, so Hitsugaya, Ikkaku and Ichigo are the only Captain classes he can compare Yoshirou to.**


	25. Chapter 24

**Damn my alarm clock broke so I woke up too late to go into Uni today, going to get my ass kicked when I go in tomorrow. However, since I had the day off, I had enough time to write up another chapter, so heres the conclusion of the whole Adjuchas charecter bit. I had considered starting the encounter with Stark at the end, but that's going to be delayed until next chapter since I want to work on a few new ideas. (Oh btw, story has now totalled over 300,000 words, and still has a good 150,000 or more to go, if not more if Tite Kubo extends the series futher)**

**Anyhow, have fun reading this chapter!**

* * *

Yoshirou tried to calm his thoughts as he continued chasing the Adjuchas, realising that his anger had gotten the better of him. He knew instinctively he had fallen for the trap already, having been separated from his own squad. The hollow he was chasing, while it shouted garbled shrieks of pain, Yoshirou could tell from a century of experience, the screams weren't from fear. The Adjuchas wasn't running for it's life from him, it knew where it was heading, and when he finally caught up, he knew he would be in the middle of the trap.

_So why are you still pursuing him!_

**I have to, if I stay with the rest of the squad, their going to keep on attacking, I'm not going to risk their lives for mine! **Yoshirou thought as he noticed the tunnel turned sharply once again. Opting not to slow, Yoshirou pulled reishi to his feet with his ability as he opted to not stop running at the turn, nearly ending up on the cavern roof as he turned the corner at full speed, before he could correct his path and return to the floor. He hadn't memorised the route he was running, but he knew that something was wrong, there were far too many turns in the tunnel, every time he tried to pull on his reiatsu, blasting a spell at his fleeing target, the Hollow would suddenly turn around a new corner, his spell colliding uselessly with the nearby wall.

He half wished he had taken the time to memorise the map perfectly. He couldn't afford to use Shunpo since even with the intense glow from Taiyoukousen, he could only clearly see about ten metres ahead in the dark tunnels. If he overstepped, he would end up colliding with a cavern wall or worse, as such he was having to run flat out to keep up with the immensely fast Adjuchas, it's massive leg muscles not just for show as it charged away ahead of him. **No doubt now, this Hollow is too fast for it to be a coincidence, he was meant to be able to run from me, he has to be leading me somewhere, but where is the question?**

(P.O.V change)

"Thanks for helping tie this up, Kira-fukutaichou…"-Nobuo said weakly to Kira, his words coming across as weak due to his blood loss from his massive wound. Kira was almost horrified by the extent of the wound she could see, his arm having two deep furrows dug out of it the whole way from shoulder to elbow, white nestled in among the deeper slash as the bone showed through. It was all she could do to cauterise the wound and bandage it over, the squad had opted not to bring any healing specialists from Squad 4 due to the inherit risk of the mission, Yoshirou believing his medical abilities would suffice. While their Captain would have indeed been able to heal the damage in a few minutes, without him the best they could do was stop the bleeding and cover it over.

**I was useless…** Kira thought as she tied the last knot in the bandage. **…All I did was watch when that Hollow attacked, I didn't even try fighting it… Nobuo and Fuyu were hurt all because I froze… **Nobuo pulled his arm back carefully, wincing as he felt the pain from the injury. He inspected in for a few seconds, before trying to flash a thankful smile to the fukutaichou. However, Kira's head was bowed, lost in her own depressing thoughts. Nearby, Tansho set in a meditative pose, his hands held palms together as he focused his reiatsu into fuelling the Tozanshou spell he had cast earlier. While no Hollows had attacked since the assault, he was taking no chances with a second massive ambush, casting the massive Pyramid barrier the moment his brother had left to chase the disappearing Captain.

**This is going to be a problem…** Tansho thought as he focused upon his spell. **I had expected that we would find more than just Gillian down here, but for the squad to have been separated so early on wasn't in the plans. I knew eventually it would happen, but I never expected an ambush to catch us off guard so easily, if Taichou hadn't detected the attack earlier, we could have been wiped out instantly, this mission is far too dangerous for anything short of a Vice Captain to be on, we seriously underestimated the situation… I just hope brother can bring the Taichou back with him, without him we could be in some serious trouble, as it is only us three have any chance of fighting on equal level with the foes in this nest.**

Opening his eyes, he turned his head slightly as he glanced out of the corner of his eyes, watching the downcast Vice Captain. **We also expected too much from her, this is the first serious mission she has ever gone on, to expect her to protect the squad was too much, she has the power to, but not the experience to use it in such situations… **Tansho shook his head slightly as he returned his focus to his spell. **What am I thinking? None of us are used to fighting organised Hollows, since when were Hollows capable of following orders and using tactics on the battlefield? In three centuries of killing Hollows I have never witnessed a planned attack like that was… At this rate, we may well be forced to retreat, if brother fails to convince the Taichou to return, we will have to retreat and trust he can take the nest down by himself.**

"Kira-fukutaichou, don't let it get you down!"-Fuyu said, having noticed the mood his superior was in, having being revived by Tansho minutes before. "Nobody was hurt badly, Nobuo is too stubborn to let such a scratch hurt him, right, Nobuo?"-Fuyu said, lightly tapping the seated 10th Seat to get his attention. Nobuo flinched, his arm stinging him again as he cast a vengeful glance up at his superior, before trying his best to smile again, boasting-"Yeah, a little scratch like this isn't a problem for me." Kira looked up at them smiling gratefully, but they could tell from her expression that their words hadn't worked at making her forgive herself. Nobuo sighed slightly as he tried to pull his injured arm into a less painful pose, before saying-"None of us could have expected that attack, it was just bad luck he went for me first, after all I am the weakest person in the squad, and even the Taichou failed to respond in time to help me, it's not your fault, I'm still alive so don't beat yourself up over it." Kira nodded again, but returned to her sullen pose none the less, leaving the two Shinigami in exasperation over how to console the stricken woman.

(P.O.V change)

**God damn it, Taichou is fast!** Haneko thought; sweat pouring over his body as he tried to tail the glow from the Captains Shikai which was fast vanishing into the distance. Even risking using Shunpo when he thought it would be safe wasn't enough to keep up with the fleet footed man. Haneko could tell from some of the views he got of the Captain that he had already calmed down, his reiatsu flowing a gentle yet strong light from his Shikai rather than the harsh, burning glow Haneko had witnessed as the Light Zanpakuto had slashed straight through the Adjuchas's limb with ease, the Captains rage getting the better of him and reflected in his Zanpakuto. **That makes things more difficult, he's not chasing out of anger, he's deliberately separating from us!** Haneko realised as he stepped into shunpo again, barely avoiding the cavern wall as he tried his best to catch up with the Captain. **I've got to stop him!** Haneko thought, before noticing the cavern was actually getting slightly brighter, not just from the Captains Shikai.

(P.O.V change)

**Here we go…** Yoshirou thought as he saw a light building in the distance as the tunnel seemingly ended, the Aduchas he was chasing vanishing out of sight as if he had dropped off the edge. Yoshirou tried again to use his senses to determine what would be ahead of him as he ran forward, but like he expected he had no such luck, his senses still blocked entirely. Must be a large chamber then Yoshirou considered as he neared the exit. Just in case, Yoshirou summoned his reiatsu, building it up and focusing it about him as a barrier in case of a sudden attack when he entered the chamber, his body glowing golden as the reiatsu settled against his skin, forming a shell about him as a barrier from damage. As he reached the tunnel end, not stopping he hurled himself forward into empty space.

What he didn't expect was just how much empty space there was as he started to drop, the floor of the cavern easily about 30 metres below him. As he hurtled down towards the floor, Yoshirou summoned Reishi about his body to slow his descent, his Haori flapping from the wind as he landed softly on the cavern floor, compared to the small crater created when his foe had landed before him, although the crater was empty, his foes muscles having been enough for it to absorb the shock from the drop and run on immediately. As he straightened up, Yoshirou finally managed to get a good look at the massive chamber about him, before realising just what kind of trouble he was in.

(P.O.V change)

As Haneko finally reached the tunnel entrance, his feet skidding on the rough ground as he come to a stop, having seen his Captain drop before him. He put a hand on the tunnel edge as he tried to look about for the Captain; however his eyes widened at the sight before him, before his ears were buffeted by the loud hollow screams from the other occupants of the chamber. **Gillian!** Haneko though in surprise, as he looked at the packed together occupants of the chamber. **How did they hide so many Gillian here! **Haneko thought in shock as he counted them, **Over 30!** Haneko thought with shock as he heard a new Hollow scream. Drawn by the noise, he saw the armless figure of the Adjuchas atop a massive stone boulder, it's remaining arm pointed at him as it continued it's screams. **Uh oh** Haneko thought, his eyes widening as he watched the Gillians all turn their masks at him, their mouths opening wide towards the Shinigami.

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou watched in surprise as the Gillians turned as one, not at him but at where he had come from. He was confused for a second, before he saw his target, the Adjuchas's mask now turned to him as it's eye sockets narrowed, leering at the Captain as it's teeth formed a grin. **He's cutting off my escape!** Yoshirou realised, shocked that his foe had been able to plan such a move. However, his realisation came too late, the Gillians mouths already glowing red as a massive amount of Cero's slammed into the tunnel entrance he had come from, the rock fall from the staccato impacts from so many massive Cero's deafening him as he was forced to throw himself forward, avoiding the boulders that rained down upon him.

After the noise died down, the only remaining noise coming from the noisy bellows of the Gillians, Yoshirou picked himself back up, carefully grasping Taiyou's handle as he stood. He turned to see the result of the attack, and just like he had expected, the entire wall had seemingly come down upon itself, the entrance covered along with the new landslide of rocks. _**"And that's your escape gone, Shinigami Captain!"-**_Yoshirou heard a warped hollow voice shout at him. **Another Hollow?** Yoshirou wondered as he pivoted, bringing his Shikai into a ready stance before him. However, he realised he was still alone, only the Gillians and the Adjuchas being the Hollows about, the Adjuchas grinning as it pointed it's claw at him.

Realisation sunk in as Yoshirou pulled his Shikai to the side, abandoning his stance as he shouted-"So you can do more than just scream, eh Hollow?" The Adjuchas reared its head back and roared out a distorted laugh at Yoshirou obviously amused by the comment_**. "It doesn't pay to underestimate Hollows, Shinigami Captain! More then just scream? Don't make me laugh, Shinigami scum!"-**_the Hollow bellowed back after it had finished its tirade. Yoshirou narrowed his eyes as he watched the Hollow, his previous thought of how talking Hollows always seemed more easier to hate reverberating through his thoughts, before he was distracted by a strange vibration on his neck.

**The headpieces!** Yoshirou remembered, a hand raised to the vibrating module he had taped to his neck, wired to a piece that lay on the bones behind his ear. As he did this, the Hollow started a long tirade about his name and how he was going to kill all the shinigami. Not noticing this conversation, Yoshirou felt the vibrations from the communicator, words picked up by his eardrum from the vibrations as he heard Haneko's voice shouting-"Taichou! Are you alright!"

Pressing down on the module piece, Yoshirou responded-"I'm fine, but I'm trapped now, just like I guessed those Hollows were after me." Yoshirou heard a sigh across the wire piece as Haneko said-"Alright, if you can't get back there's nothing we can do anymore, this mission is too dangerous for the majority of our squad, with your permission, I am going to take command of the squad and retreat." Yoshirou nodded to himself as the Adjuchas continued his tirade, not noticing he wasn't exactly listening. "All right, get them out of here, once your clear, detonate the first structural support, I'll take care of the rest."

"Affirmative, Tansho and I will return to get you out once the rest of the squad are safe, don't get yourself killed before we can get back." Yoshirou was about to make a sharp retort at the cheeky finishing touch, but he realised the static had started again as Haneko tuned his headpiece elsewhere, obviously contacting the other members of the squad. Yoshirou chuckled slightly at the humour from his 3rd seat as he returned his attention to the Hollows gathered before him, the Gillian milling about at the lack of any orders from the nearby Adjuchas, some of them spontaneously roaring their Hollow cries as the Adjuchas shouted_**-"-And now your about to die Shinigami Captain! Any last words?"**_

Yoshirou scratched his head slightly as he said-"Yeah, a few, like what was that you were going on about? Sorry I was a bit distracted." The Adjuchas lowered it's arm slightly in confusion, unsure as to what Yoshirou was telling him. Suddenly the Adjuchas clenched it's teeth in anger as it's eyes narrowed at Yoshirou. _**"Just die already, Shinigami scum!"-**_the Aduchas bellowed before screaming-_**"ATTACK HIM!" **_The Gillians roared as they all looked down at him, mouths opening as massive spheres charged red reiatsu around their mouths. Yoshirou sighed slightly as he pulled Taiyoukousen down to his side. "Seriously, Gillian? I don't know whether you're stupid or if you're trying to insult me, Adjuchas…" Yoshirou said as he casually reached his free arm up to his sword arm, releasing another band. With a flash of movement, his sword barely seen with the speed and force he swung it, Yoshirou slashed his Shikai diagonally at the air. Nothing seemingly happened at first, the Gillians all continuing to charge their Cero's. However, suddenly the closest three seemed to have a slight change, their body's seemingly morphing, as if half their bodies slid from the other half.

As the Adjuchas watched in shock, all three Gillians were slashed straight through, their towering bodies all cut in one parallel diagonal line following where Yoshirou had swung his Shikai, easily 20 metres away from them, his sword having cut through the air, seemingly creating a blade of wind with it's passing. "Hikari no Ken, Hitotsume; Nadegiri." (1)-Yoshirou stated simply as the towering foes bodies split in two, the monstrous bodies collapsing as they shook the whole Cavern with their weight, dust and rubble flying everywhere with the dark matter that a Gillians body is formed of as they hit the ground, dead without even having known it. The other Gillians were unperturbed however, their simple minds only focused upon completing their task as they unleashed their Ceros, massive beams of boiling Reiatsu lancing out to kill the Captain. However, Yoshirou vanished, the Cero's all missing as he disappeared into shunpo, a massive explosion of reiatsu where he was forming a huge crater.

The Adjuchas swung it's head in a panic, trying to track the inhuman speed Yoshirou moved at, the Gillians screeching out in confusion as they realised the Captain was not dead in the centre of the crater, their simple minds only processing the information slowly. Suddenly, the Adjuchas heard the words rather than seeing the Shinigami, Yoshirou intoning_-"Hado no. 88, Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!"_ As the Adjuchas turned it's head to locate the Captain, eyes wide in panic, he saw the Captain standing on empty air between three Gillians, his Shikai having dropped to the cavern floor, burying itself to it's handle in the bedrock as the Shinigami raised each of his arms at two of the surrounding Gillians (2). Suddenly, a collection of blue lightning at each arm exploded outwards with force, two massive beams of blue reiatsu intermixed with condensed lightening exploding outwards with force as they collided with their respective Gillians.

The Gillians had no chance, the massive beam smashing into each Gillian with incomparable force, the Gillians physically lifted from their feet as the beams spat lightening all about them, simultaneously smashed into them and drilled through their bodies as they burst through the giant Hollows to smash into the Gillians collected nearby. As the Arrancar watched this horrible power, each beam easily consuming six Gillians and more with it's force before exploding, peppering the remaining Gillians with lightning and reiatsu backlash from the explosion, the still living Gillians screeching out in pain and confusion. _**"H-H-How… H-How can he be this strong!"-**_the Adjuchas screeched out with terror as Yoshirou slowly dropped to the floor to retrieve his Shikai from the bedrock.

The last Gillian from the three who had surrounded him, luckily having escaped the force from his cast Kido, watched him as he descended to the ground. As Yoshirou bent down to pull his Shikai from the earth, the Gillian raised one massive foot, before it descended down upon the Captain, the force creating a massive crater where it crushed the Captain. The Adjuchas watched, open eyed with shock, before finally relaxing, suddenly roaring with laughter at the death of the Captain. "Its good that I'm not with my squad anymore."-a strong voice, ladled with power rang out from under the boot of the Gillian, causing the Adjuchas to stop its laughter instantly.

The said Gillian cried out its Hollow scream with confusion as it felt its foot move back upwards fractionally. Then the Adjuchas cried out, the Gillians seemingly boot like foot lifted clear from the crater. He could see Yoshirou looking back at him, eyes burning golden with his reiatsu as he watched the Adjuchas. Unlike what the Adjuchas had thought, the crater was centred where his feet were, the floor having buckled under the pressure his body had easily withstood from the Gillian stamping on him, his free arm raised above his head, one finger touching the boot of the Gillian, the Gillians foot folding inwards slightly at the point of contact. "Now, I don't have to hold back anymore!"-Yoshirou shouted as he lowered his arm slightly, before stabbing his free arm upwards, still only one finger upon the boot.

The Adjuchas's eyeholes in his mask widened even further with shock as the Gillian screamed out in confusion, suddenly flying through the air as its foot was thrown upwards, the rest of its body following suit. It's head soon smashed into the roof ten metres overhead, it's mask pulverised by the force it hit as the Hollow died instantly, rocks falling down with it's body dislodged from the reinforced cavern roof as Yoshirou jumped free of the crater he stood in, his Shikai once again in hand.

The Adjuchas fell back, tripping over and falling off his boulder in terror as Yoshirou slowly started walking towards him. Its remaining claws and legs scrabbling for purchase on the ground as it tried to get away, it screamed in terror_**-"KILL HIM, KILL HIM, KILL HIM!"**_ The remaining Gillians lumbered over, feet shaking the cavern with their weight as they howled out their Hollow cries, their mouths open as red reiatsu once again charged in their mouths. Yoshirou shook his head in exasperation, saying-"Dumb beasts, best a Gillian can ever do is fire Cero's, how on earth did you think something like that would have been enough to take me out, Adjuchas? Numbers mean nothing; I could defeat a thousand of these things as easy as thirty!"

While Yoshirou knew he was exaggerating slightly, he didn't have quite enough reiatsu to waste fighting a thousand Gillian, it was enough for the Adjuchas to scream in panic, trying once again to scrabble away from him.

_There was no need for that, you know._

**I know, but I'm not going to let somebody who attacks my men off so easily, he could have tried killing me straight away, but he let others do it for him, only going for the easier prey, I can't forgive that!**

_*Sigh* I guess your right, but it's still pitiful to watch, can't you stop it and just end his misery?_

**No** Yoshirou replied bluntly, surprising even his own zanpakuto with his words, who fell into silence with worry. Yoshirou swung his Shikai forward as the Gillians finished charging their Cero's, the massive beams of red flying out at him again as he took his Shikai in both hands, intoning-"Shōdo no Henkan!" The Adjuchas watched, hoping that the fact that Yoshirou wasn't dodging meant that he would finally now die, the hollow knew he had very little chance left to even survive if this last attack failed. As the Cero's descended upon him, Yoshirou standing stock still with his Shikai, a few metres before they were about to impact, they suddenly seemingly vanished, light pouring away from where they stopped in a blazing show, the reiatsu that fuelled the Cero's converted back to light as the attacks lost all of their force, just evaporating into light before they even hit the Captain.

The Adjuchas felt that if hollows had their original anatomy from being humans, he would have already soiled himself and tears would be pouring down his face in terror from this implacable, unstoppable foe. As it was, his mask was twisted into a contorted grimace of terror, he was shrieking out his hollow cry in fear, his arm stub and claw desperately pin wheeling as he tried to pull himself away from this monster before him. He didn't care about his orders any more, he didn't care whether he would be killed for disobeying him, if he remained here much longer, he was about to die and he knew it with all of his twisted soul.

Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he watched the Adjuchas, saying quietly-"If you had the guts to take me on, to try and attack me with those Gillians, you could have killed me just now. I was defenceless against any attack from you while I was stopping those Cero's, you could have killed me if you hadn't been so terrified. Now you've lost your last hope that I gave to you, you're not going to escape!" With that, Yoshirou vanished once again. Terrified, the Adjuchas got up to its feet and started running, screaming as it charged towards the only remaining exit, easily a hundred metres away. It knew it had no chance to escape, that Captain's speed already too fast for him to even see when he used his real speed, but he tried anyway, the Gillians roaring in confusion as they watched the Adjuchas run.

For a second, the Adjuchas thought it would make it, its massive leg muscles pumping it faster towards the exit, but a shadow had the creature screech to a stop. Just metres away from the tunnel, the torso of a massive Gillian smashed into the exit, the Gillian already dead from a massive blow to it's body having hurled it across the cavern, blocking his last chance to escape. As the Adjuchas turned slowly, fearful of what he would see, he once again saw the Kido Corps Captain walking slowly towards him, massive waves of golden reiatsu rolling off of his body as he strode forward, his Shikai blazing with reiatsu as he approached the stricken Hollow, his eyes fixed firmly upon the eyeholes in the Adjuchas, his own blazing a golden light compared to the yellow glow hidden within the mask of the Adjuchas as they watched him with terror. The Adjuchas knew now it was just him and the Captain, the other thirty Gillian he had brought with him slaughtered in a few minutes.

"Now then Adjuchas, was it fun, setting those hollows on me and my men? Was it fun slicing through the arm of a Shinigami? Was it fun watching my Vice Captain in fear of you?"- Yoshirou asked calmly and quietly, his eyes burning with rage as he stopped a metre from the large Adjuchas, raising his Shikai so that the tip was a mere inch from the frozen Adjuchas body. The Hollow trembled with fear, his muscles frozen as he couldn't tear his eyes away from the Shinigami, his whole body feeling like it would shutdown and collapse just from watching those burning, golden eyes, his whole soul suppressed just by looking at the Shinigami's eyes.

_**"Sp-Spare me, Shinigami!"-**_ the Hollow weakly pleaded as Yoshirou gazed upon its mask, the Hollow trembling in fear of the Captain before him. Yoshirou's eyes narrowed slightly as he repeated-"I asked was it fun setting all those hollows against me and trying to kill me? ANSWER ME, HOLLOW!" The last part shouted with a thunderous voice, his reiatsu building about him, crushing the Hollow down to the ground, the Hollow trying to raise itself despite the thunderous pressure created by the proximity of his full reiatsu. _**"I-I didn't! I was only f-following orders! I-I would be killed if I didn't do it! I-I just wanted to live! Please, sp-spare me!"-**_the Hollow screeched as Yoshirou raised his blade up high.

Time seemed to freeze for that instant, Yoshirou looking down upon the crushed Hollow, his eyes blazing with fury and murderous intent, the Hollow crushed to the floor, unable to even lift a finger to defend itself, eyes terrified as it watched its impeding death at the Captains hand. With all the authority of an executioner, Yoshirou swung his blade.

(P.O.V change)

Szayel stared dumbfounded at the screen, at a loss for words and thoughts as to what he was seeing, frozen to the spot in shock.

(P.O.V change)

The Adjuchas felt the pressure all about him lift, the crushing feeling gone, the terror gone as Yoshirou walked away from its body. "Return to Hueco Mundo, Hollow. Live out the rest of your existence there, never return to the Real World. If you do that, I'll let you live." The Adjuchas couldn't understand what it was hearing, it had to be dead, there was no other explanation. But its arm still hurt, the pain creeping up from the loss of its limb, the blood no longer flowing since the hole had managed to heal, even if the arm and claw would never be regenerated. It could hear too, rubble crashing all around him from something nearby. Weakly raising its masked head, the Hollow saw a harsh amount of light from somewhere above. Its eyes focusing hazily, it realised the roof of the cavern was gone.

More exactly, the roof of the cavern had been destroyed, along with the next twenty meters of rock above it, obliterated from the power of Yoshirou's sword swing. Rather than cut through the Hollow before him, Yoshirou had averted his blade, slashing his blade upwards inches before it would have cut through the Hollow, instead an arc of reiatsu released as it bored through the supposedly reinforced roofing, cutting through like a knife through butter. Across the way, Yoshirou walked towards the disappearing body of the Menos, his Zanpakuto glow reduced as he sealed his sword, only the blade glowing warmly with some light as he sheathed the now katana sized sword. The Hollow could only watch in shock as the Captain disappeared into the now accessible tunnel, swallowed once more by the darkness, leaving the dazed Adjuchas upon the floor of the cavern.

(P.O.V change)

Szayel was still frozen in surprise, his fingertips frozen in midair as the commands he had been putting into the console were stopped in shock. Of all the things he had expected to see of this supposed Captain, mercy towards a Hollow was certainly not on his list. Szayels mind ran through a hundred different scenarios and theories that might explain the reason or purpose why the Captain had shown mercy, but nothing answered his question. Szayel had been immensely intrigued by the fight as a whole, the Captains growth in reiatsu far higher than he had predicted for a mere initial release of his Zanpakuto, it was on a whole other plane compared to the data he had of the other Shinigami. He had also shown abilities which Szayel had never seen recorded anywhere, while his Shikai specific abilities was to be expected, he showed Kido abilities the like of which centuries of records had never shown, and his physical might was on a whole other level as well.

He hadn't expected that the Gillians and Adjuchas would injure the Captain, he knew that was a stupid thing to consider. However, he didn't imagine that they would be overcome so cleanly and surely, the Captain still wearing three of the five limiters that he used. Szayel had hoped he would witness the result of all the limiters removed, but he was disappointed. He also discovered with shock, his earlier theory that he had discarded as impossible was proven true. While he had to deconstruct the data since he was using his Shikai now, after several calculations, including theoretical limits of empowerment by the Shikai, more or less his estimated max reiatsu sealed was now triple what he had scanned at the beginning, meaning that each band did indeed cover a sixth of his maximum power.

He was going to have to prepare certain countermeasures for the upcoming encounter, Stark would undoubtedly be annoyed by interference, especially since Szayel had promised the Captain was strong, but even at this rate, Szayel was unsure as to who was the stronger, the Captain or the Espada. **Based off the calculations for the boost in strength from using Shikai, and construing how his limiters worked, then if he makes a likeable jump in his strength upon reaching Bankai, he may prove the superior of the two…** Szayel thought as he finally regained control of his limbs, his body getting over the surprise from what he had witnessed.

**Still, he is more naïve than I had possibly thought, showing mercy to a Hollow? I've lost some of my respect for this Shinigami, Hollows are beings bound by instinct rather than plausible thoughts, to show one mercy will never change the Hollow, words mean nothing before desire, what an idiot thinking he could convince a Hollow to abide by his terms just by a show of mercy! Still, with Critin's survival now assured, I can definitely make use of that Adjuchas, who knows what results there may be from him now? A pity that he has lost a limb, but that is meaningless as far as I can use him! Szayel went through another set of plans as he grinned, before suddenly stopping himself.**

**Ah, I am getting ahead of myself, back to this situation right now.** His eyes returning to the screen, he returned towards the supposed encampment the remaining Shinigami squad had set up, a large and very powerful barrier extending over the group. **Precautions against ambushes? Truly that man is a seasoned veteran, futile, but definitely a move from experience. While I still have soldiers that can destroy that barrier and kill them all, it seems more interesting to let them see themselves as safe for now. I shall wait until they regroup before making any further moves.** With that, Szayel manipulated the controls, the screen changing once again as it displayed the picture of a running Shinigami. Szayel was tempted to start manipulating the corridors, to make sure that he would never find his way back to the group, but another idea stayed his hand.

**I have no data regarding the grouping known as a twin, since it is impossible for Hollows to exist as twins, I wonder what would happen if one twin is forced to watch his sibling torn to pieces before his eyes?**

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou ran on through the tunnel as he continued to try and find his way towards more familiar grounds. While the massive cavern he had just been had been marked out on the map that the squad had drawn, he had expected it to be further into the nest than it had been, his planned path bringing the squad nowhere near where he guessed the Gillians would be staying. He guessed that he must have run too far chasing the Adjuchas, so he didn't realise he had ran towards the nest. Either that or the map had missed a tunnel off, which was far more likely considering he hadn't seen any tunnels which were as windy and impossible to negotiate as the ones he had ran through.

**And there was me thinking it might all be over by that for a second, I was hoping that Adjuchas was the one behind the attacks, but it seems there's something even higher up the chain here, Arrancar, possibly even Espada, damn…**

_So you terrified the Adjuchas so it would reveal that to you?_

Yoshirou's brow furrowed as he considered the question. **…Maybe, but I was also furious at the Hollow, he had hurt my squad members badly, it reminded me too much of Creedo, I kinda lost it for a bit.**

_But you showed it mercy?_

… Yoshirou took a little while to reply to Taiyou, his thoughts a slight mess as he considered what he had done. **He was being used I suppose, just like them all, but he had conscious thought, not just instincts like those other Hollow… Anyway, there's no way he can return back to attack the squad now, he sealed the original entrance, and I'm still in this tunnel. All he can do now is run away through the roof exit I made, he's no threat to anyone anymore, does it really matter so much that I did spare him?**

Taiyou didn't answer his question, remaining silent as Yoshirou refocused on the task at hand, trying to negotiate the tunnel. However, personally she felt glad he had, she had been scared slightly by how he had acted there and doubted his intentions, thinking he had lost control just like supposedly the last master of her previous form had, his anger influencing him towards the supposed self destructive path the man from five centuries ago had followed. Once again she was reminded how grateful she was to have a man like him as her Aruji, despite his flaws. However, Yoshirou heard none of her thoughts or words, focusing completely on running deeper into the heart of the nest, towards whatever trap that had been setup for him.

* * *

**Bet you probably didn't expect that kind of ending for the Adjuchas, I just had a sudden urge to throw a surprising ending to the entire battle. Also, I have a strange thought that's floating around my head at the moment, and I'm unsure as to whether to pursue it or not. I thought I might include this new Hollow charecter into the storyline as an interesting side charecter. Now once again, this is all just a vague idea, he can either dissapear here and never appear in the storyline again, or I can integrate him into whats left of the storyline to create a new and different point of view to the Tales of Yoshirou series, one done from the other side of the mirror so to say.**

**If you would like this idea, then you can say so if you want to review this chapter, if you don't, then disagree or don't say anything. If this idea receives no support, then i'll discard it, after all adding a new charecter at this point would be very strange, but I thought it would be a nice and unique idea. Anyhow, cya all next chapter anyway!**

**Ah yeah, discovered a handy tip for anybody who does Fanfiction, if your stuck for lines during your writing, I usually pick an OST from the anime of the series i'm writing to listen too. If you pick one that has the same mood as your text that your stuck on, you find inspiration easier for soem reason, dunno why, psychological effect I suppose.**

**(1) Sword of Light, First attack; The Killing Stroke- Yes, this is parodied from Yamamoto's technique, but since Yamamoto has been training Yoshirou for a month, it goes to say that Yoshirou learnt some of Yamamoto's abilities during that time. Unlike the Ryujin Jakka version, this is improved since it uses the mechanics of the Hikari no Ken technique to massively extend the blade length so he can slash his foes from a distance with it. It's only useable with his Shikai, unlike Yamamoto who utilises it with his sealed sword form.**

**(2) Yoshirou has now mastered a new level in his Kido, while it hasn't been stated yet; the story will go into more depth after this battle arc. Suffice to say, it's an intermixed form of _Eishohaki_ and _Niju Eisho_. To put it in it's most basic terms, he can now double cast Kido spells through each arm simultaneously, be it mixing the spells, intermixing Bakudo and Hado, or in this case firing the same Hado twice simultaneously. While this could be considered god modding, since Yoshirou could Eisohaki up to Hado 88 and Bakudo 99 to begin with, it's the only real step he could jump to after Bankai training and Yamamoto training. It's just so that people know I haven't forgotten that he is meant to be the Kido Captain. A bit more of this ability will be revealed against Stark.**


	26. Chapter 25

**Well hello readers, new chapter up for the people today! Mind you, reading the latest manga chapter of Bleach, i've had to do some major revamping to my future plans. Y'see, I kinda plan veeeery far ahead of myself, I was planning the final confrontation between Yoshirou and Aizen, however with the way the latest chapters have gone, I realised my initial plans aren't going to cut it any more, so i'm having to change tacts. Of course, no spoilers intended so I can't go into detail why i'm changing, but certain reasons are forcing my replans. No need to worry, this has no impact on current storyline, just future plans.**

**Anyhow, with that let the chapter begin! (A bit less combat based this time, i'm just getting the matches set up)**

* * *

Kira raised her head hopefully as she heard hurried footfalls outside the proximity of the barrier Tansho had setup, the distinctive sound of sandals hitting earth rather than the bone which Hollow limbs were composed of. Out of the darkness of the nearby tunnel, a figure appeared, running towards the rest of the group. However, Kira's hopes fell slightly upon seeing that Haneko was alone, he had failed to stop the Captain from moving on alone. Behind her, she heard a small clap from Tansho creating a set of hand signs, manipulating the barrier he had setup to allow his brother access to the makeshift encampment they had made. Haneko crossed the blue boundary where the barrier stopped, before nearly collapsing, his lungs drawing huge gulps of air from his obvious exertion, his face covered with a sheen of sweat that was visible even from where Kira sat.

"Brother, I'm glad you made it back, your report was almost unbelievable, perhaps you can explain it better now you're here."-Tansho said from nearby, still remaining seated as he kept the barrier intact. Kira was surprised by the news, she didn't realise there had been any contact between the brothers, she had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice. Haneko nodded wearily, still trying to get his breath back as he said-"First, my apologies Kira-fukutaichou, I should have reported to you what happened rather than my brother, forgive me for ignoring the chain of command." Kira was surprised by the sudden apology, before trying to smile, saying-"Don't worry about it." **I don't really feel like the Vice Captain anyway** Kira thought sadly, remembering how she had let the others get injured as Haneko, having managed to calm his breathing down now, bowed slightly to her. He then walked to the centre of the barrier where Tansho sat, carefully avoiding both questions from the other shinigami and the location where the destruction spell was set before sitting beside his brother.

The entire team waited with baited breath for Haneko to begin his explanation. "As you can guess, I was unsuccessful in persuading Taichou to return with me, due to certain situations we were separated, our Taichou fell into a trap and had his retreat path cut off, so regrouping won't be possible."-Haneko explained. Kira was dumbstruck by his calm tone; he had just announced that he had effectively abandoned their Captain after he fell into a trap. What she couldn't understand was why nobody else was as horrified as she was, Fuyu sighing exasperatedly, Kaito shrugging as he muttered-"Like always…" Kira was about to say something, but Nobuo suddenly asked-"Haneko, was it really a trap, or did our annoying Taichou blow the corridor up himself to split us up?"

Haneko chuckled slightly at this, confusing Kira as he said-"While that was what he did the last time, no this really was a trap, seems he was led headfirst into a massive collection of Gillians." Takumi swore under his breath at hearing this, they knew there was a high chance of Gillians, but actually hearing confirmation was another matter. Hideo laughed slightly, saying-"Well, we don't have to worry about Gillians now I suppose, those kind of Hollows couldn't take down our Taichou!" That drew a collective chuckle from the majority of the squad, who all knew firsthand that Gillians had no hope against Yoshirou, even decades ago they wouldn't have scratched him. Kira still couldn't help but feel worried though, if Yoshirou hadn't returned then that meant there was something more dangerous lurking nearby that he had gone to deal with.

Tansho sighed, saying-"That's Taichou for you, we probably wont be seeing any more Hollows now, so…" Tansho nodded towards the ground nearby him, where Yuuto sat. Once again, Yuuto had taken it upon himself to try drawing another map, although this version was scratched out of the earth instead of on a scroll. This time the diagram showed their progression into the nest, and included a newly calculated route that avoided the tunnel Yoshirou had collapsed. "I'm afraid with the main tunnel collapsed, we are going to have to take a longer path around to continue, now your back we are just waiting for when Kira-fukutaichou decides we set off."

Kira's eyes suddenly opened wide as she heard Tansho's words, the eyes of the rest of the squad turning to her as they heard Tansho's words. **Oh, since Taichou is gone, now I'm next in command aren't I?** Kira realised, the eyes of the nearby Shinigami all watching her expectedly, as if they now expected her to take charge of the entire operation. Kira froze, completely unconfident that she could handle being in charge, she had no idea what to do, she had never anticipated that Yoshirou would leave the squad, even now the entire nest felt like a hellhole of danger without his immense strength to protect them all ever present. She never realised just how much his presence in the field inspired confidence and a feeling of protection among his men until now, with him gone, everything felt so dangerous that she was terrified of the entire situation.

**I suppose that's what makes him our Captain** Kira thought as she looked away from the men, drawing her knees up to her chest as if she could comfort herself and feel a little safer by this small motion. **He really is what holds us all together, just by being nearby you can feel safe knowing he will protect you… How can I even begin to compare to that? I'm just scared and afraid…** "Kira-fukutaichou…"-Nobuo said quietly, her posture and actions portraying her un-confidence to the men around her. However, before Kira could say or do more, Haneko suddenly moved over to her. Kneeling before her seated form, he bowed his head as he said-"With all respects, Kira-fukutaichou, I wish to take temporary control of our squad."

**Huh?** Kira thought, looking up at his bowed head as Haneko said-"I'm sorry, but before we separated, I asked Taichou for permission to take control of our squad in his absence, it was above my position to ask such a request, but Taichou bade me to do so, so with your permission, may I relieve you of control?" Kira was surprised by the sudden motion, but then realised the situation. She was just an inexperienced soldier, almost the equal of a grunt suddenly hoisted into command, while Haneko was not only older and stronger than her, but a military leader first and foremost. Not only was he the better choice, but he knew what he was doing, and it was the wish of her Taichou that he took control.

Kira tucked her head down slightly as she said-"I am relieved of control…" Haneko instantly straightened up, before bowing once again, quietly muttering in a tone only she could hear distinctively-"Don't worry, leadership comes with experience, in due time you get the chance to prove you are our fukutaichou, but this mission is too dangerous for that chance." He straightened up once again, before saying-"Hereby, I'm taking control of this squad, is there any objections?" The squad members said nothing, neither objections or support. They all respected that Kira had done her best so far, so confirming out loud that Haneko was the better choice would be an insult to her efforts.

Haneko nodded as he said-"I'm afraid it's already been decided with Taichou that we are now retreating." This drew a collective cry from the men, but before any words could be exchanged, Haneko shouted out-"We have no idea what else this nest holds, as of now this mission is confirmed as too dangerous for any squad members below Vice Captain, as such we are retreating. Once we are clear, we will detonate the current set charge before reporting back to Soul Society for more appropriate reinforcements and making contact with the relief team stationed in the Human World for reinforcements." The men muttered their dislike of this plan, still confident that they could continue despite Haneko's words of warning.

Tansho nodded nearby, adding-"I agree, that last ambush could have obliterated this squad instantly, it was pure chance that Taichou managed to detect the attack ahead of us, if he hadn't, at least half of us wouldn't be standing, even my brother and I didn't notice the attack, only responding to Taichou's warning. The most prompt action now would be retreat, we aren't on a level to compare with Taichou so we can't attempt to support him, his chances of survival are greater without having any concern about us being dragged into this trap, I say we respect the Taichou's decision and retreat."

(P.O.V change)

**Retreat?** Szayel thought as he watched the Shinigami assembled on the console. **Well, that definitely is the most prudent course of action when an unknown enemy is assembled before you, to abandon your comrades and run increases your own chance of survival. They abandon the Captain as a decoy, and escape. If they were my subordinates, I would personally butcher them all for lack of trying to support me, but I suppose this is that ridiculous notion Shinigami call the Heart at play, the strange need to self sacrifice themselves at every opportunity, ridiculous.**

Szayel hummed to himself as he considered his options, he didn't have much time to play with them, other operations would have to be completed post haste before the Captain and the Primera started their encounter. **For now…** Szayel thought, leaning forward as he slid a fingertip along a complex looking diagram that was on the screen, the lines changing as he made contact with the display. **…they can wander, lost in these corridors as they try to retreat. Once I am finished with the Captain, I shall turn my attention back to them.**

As his concentration left the screen, he refocused, his brows furrowing in concentration as he ran a hand along wither side of his head, making sure his hair was definitely tucked back and out of the way before he got to work. He then brought both arms back to the console his fingers dancing on the console at an inhuman speed, Szayel started to program in complex equation after calculation into the system. **This would be easier and more exact if I had firsthand examples of this Captains Reiatsu, but as far as I can tell, an encounter with this being could possibly spell my end, and I have no intention to risk my life on something just to make a calculation easier. Without those examples, I shall have to do the best I can to compute a significantly close matching wavelength, the results wont be as strong enough to incapacitate him, but they should work efficiently enough to at least weaken him.**

Szayels eyes narrowed further as he compared each result with the recorded wavelength he was detecting from the Captain, getting more and more frustrated as he worked. **The problem is that his Reiryoku is wavering too much in its intensity, which is technically an impossible feat, either those bands are throwing off his Reiryoku as it seals his reiatsu, or he has another mechanism that does it for him. I don't know how he predicted that his foes may attempt something like this, it's inconceivable that he knew a person would try to program an anti-wavelength to neutralise his Reiatsu power. It might be that it's plainly a side effect from his sealing bands which he has learnt to put up with, it seems that at exact points when he uses his power, his Reiryoku stabilises to the exact type he need.**

As he continued to compute the anti-wavelength, he used his other arm to pull up various recordings and graphs on the screen. He could clearly see the pattern, whenever he did nothing his Reiryoku jumped randomly, impossible to define. However, at exact moments in battle, during the interval he used a technique with his Shikai, when he cast his Kido, his Reiryoku froze for an instant, at the moment he channelled his reiatsu, and during the incantation and casting times for his techniques. **While with this data, I can neutralise his Kido by instantly reacting during the interval he spends chanting the spell, his ability to use that ridiculous Eisohaki of the Shinigami techniques will be troublesome, I will have to rewrite an algorithm command into the network to react to his Reiryoku. **

As he brought his attention back to the anti-wavelength, he finally managed to get an averaged wavelength for his Reiryoku. With a sigh, he leaned back in his seat. **That will at least nullify his Shikai, I can't do anything for his personal brute strength and speed though, but if I can seal those abilities from his Shikai, that's the majority of the risk dealt with, he won't be able to instantly overpower the Primera. I just have to believe that Stark won't be stupid enough to hold back his strength. **With a sigh, Szayel sat forward again. It's a shame that I won't be able to record all of his abilities with his Shikai sealed, but I already have enough data now. Unless he still has another trick then that's this problem all sorted.

As Szayel finally input the anti-wavelength, his eyes were drawn to one last recording that he had seen during the battle. At one point, the Captain had been cornered by three hollows, the video showed that he defeated them by throwing a sword through one, then hurling the remaining two into the wall, but there was something wrong in the recordings. For one instant, when the Shinigami had grabbed their masks, his Reiryoku flashed in one millisecond into a new signature. Szayel didn't understand what it was, but it seemed to pertain to his physical strength, since with minimal movement, he had hurled the two Hollows with enough force to shatter their bodies off the tunnel walls. **Maybe he has a close range technique to channel his reiatsu into his fists to strengthen the impact? Well that would prove useless against Stark since he will be fighting with a sword, but I suppose it merits further study…**

(P.O.V change)

_Yoshirou!_

The Captain staggered, feeling a pain inside his mind as something happened. Wobbling, Yoshirou put his free hand against the wall to stabilise himself, holding his head in his other hand as his features clenched in pain. **What the hell? A migraine, now of all times?**

_I don't think so, I can feel this pain too, it's not coming from your body acting up, it's something wrong with your soul, but what I don't know._

**Damn, why does my body have to act up now of all times**! Yoshirou thought with confusion. He had just entered another cavern area, unsure of which of the caverns four exits to take when the pain hammered into his mind.

_I'll use my abilities to stop the pain, but you're going to have to take it easy, if it's your soul, then who knows what might happen if you try to push your body now._

**Great, I'm in some kind of trap set up by Aizen, and my soul is messing up? Talk about the wrong time to be affected by an unknown illness…** Yoshirou thought as he felt the pain dumb down, until it vanished altogether. **Unless this is some kind of effect caused by an enemy or something…**

"You doing alright there, Shinigami?"-a calm, yet rough voice asked out from somewhere nearby, surprising Yoshirou. Yoshirou vanished with shunpo, appearing as far away from where he detected the voice with his zanpakuto in hand, eyes narrowed as he searched the gloom for the source of the voice. He was surprised when he found it, for all the world it looked like a man had found a flat rock and decided to sleep on it, one eye opened lazily as it watched him, its face showing no concern as to his sudden awakening. Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he watched the man, but whoever or whatever the person was, it seemed content to just watch him lazily from the rock, waiting for his answer.

**What the hell…** Yoshirou thought as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The man was dressed in pure white robes, the same kind that Yoshirou had remembered seeing the last arrancar he fought wearing, albeit this ones top was closed slightly, although it was still open enough to reveal the Hollow hole on his chest and the mask fragments hanging loosely from his neck. Unlike what Yoshirou remembered of Grimmjow, this arrancar was watching him calmly, almost with a slightly interested air, definitely not sending any signs that he had an intent to fight him, no motions showing that it planned to attack him, his face perfectly human with a perfectly human expression watching him.

The Arrancar turned suddenly, causing Yoshirou to pull his zanpakuto in a defensive stance. However, the Arrancar had just adjusted its lying pose so it was now on its back, his arms tucked behind his head as he said-"You looked in pain there, Shinigami, something up?" **What is he…** Yoshirou wondered as he watched the Arrancar yawn. **Is he so unconcerned about my battle potential that he isn't defending himself, or is it that he just has no interest in fighting me? I can't tell…**

Yoshirou shook his head, before considering whether or not what just happened to his body was perhaps some effect caused by this Arrancar. Keeping his Shikai at ready, Yoshirou challenged-"Did you just do something now?" The Arrancar turned its head once again to him, as if considering the question, before answering-"I guess I asked you a question, is that surprising?" **An Arrancar not trying to kill me is surprising enough** Yoshirou relented internally, realising that this foe probably wasn't the reason why his soul was acting up. "I don't know if it's different for Shinigami, but answering questions is generally considered polite among Arrancar, I answered yours, right?"-the Arrancar stated, still watching Yoshirou for some kind of response.

**This really is too strange, what is with this situation?** Yoshirou thought as he relented, saying-"Nothing for you to worry about, it's nothing you can take advantage of." The Arrancar raised an eyebrow at the way Yoshirou answered, but shrugged slightly, saying-"Fine by me." Yoshirou waited again, expecting the Arrancar to attack now the conversation was over, but once again he just turned on his back, as if wanting to get to sleep. Deciding not to let his guard down, Yoshirou kept his sword up, carefully edging towards the next exit as he watched the Arrancar for any signs of movement.

"I wouldn't bother doing that Shinigami; you can't leave now you're here."-the Arrancar suddenly said, still not moving from his laid back posture. Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he said-"What do you mean?" The Arrancar sighed audibly, before gruffly replying-"Go ahead and try, I won't stop you." Yoshirou's head was just full of questions at this situation, here before him was a Hollow entity, he was a hundred percent sure of it, but this Arrancar seemingly didn't care less about the fact that a Shinigami was nearby, neither concerned with attacking him or defending itself. Yoshirou himself wasn't sure of what to do, he knew the Arrancar were the main weapons that Aizen was going to use in the war, and now one was here before him. In all rights, he should kill the Hollow, but he couldn't bring himself to attack the man before him, just lying there completely defenceless, even eyes closed as it tried to get back to sleep.

This was his single greatest opportunity to hinder his foes, but he couldn't attack a foe which had no intention of fighting him in turn. Of course, he couldn't be sure whether this was a façade to get him to lower his guard either, his mind was just swamped with too many questions. "Not going to try then?"-the Arrancar asked once again in its gruff tone. Yoshirou hesitated again, before turning towards the tunnel, chancing that the Arrancar wouldn't attack. Surprisingly, he didn't, Yoshirou heard no sign of movement behind him, the relaxed breathing from the Arrancar still far away from him. Yoshirou dashed into the tunnel, leaving the Arrancar behind him as he continued.

**That was an experience beyond words** Yoshirou mused as he hurried onwards, his footfalls the only noise in the tunnel as he continued towards what he hoped was the heart of the nest.

(P.O.V change)

"Tsk"-Szayel hissed as he watched the Captains progress, Szayel forced to rewire the path he took so it would return to the central chamber where the Primera was apparently sleeping again. **What is he playing at?** Szayel wondered, as he had watched the whole exchange, he had expected that the Primera would challenge the Captain to a fight in a straightforward style, but instead the Arrancar had just sat there, doing nothing. **And he expects me to make sure the Captain doesn't leave either, now the Captain will know for sure that Stark-san isn't his real enemy, I had planned it so the Captain would believe Stark-san the main instigator in this plan, the so called Final Foe, but now I've been forced to redirect him back, it will be blaringly obvious it wasn't Stark-san's doing. Now, even if they fight, the Captain won't give it his all, leaving some behind in order to deal with the real instigator, Stark-san had just ruined the entire plan!**

Szayel hissed with frustration as he finished redirecting the Captains path; however his mind was also interested on something else. When he had successfully implicated the anti-wavelength to forcibly seal the Captains Shikai, he had been affected mentally by the effects. Szayel had never expected this outcome, after all the effect should have only been his Shikai inaccessible, affecting only his Zanpakuto. However, the Captain himself had reacted to the signal, something which made no sense whatsoever. **Perhaps I will need to do more research on the connection between Shinigami and Zanpakuto **Szayel mused.** Perhaps the connection between Arrancar and Zanpakuto is completely different to Shinigami and Zanpakuto, I had thought they were both workings being two separate entities, but the Captains reaction suggested a more integrated phenomenon than I had anticipated, this Shinigami is certainly giving me more and more entertaining research prospects than I had anticipated, if only I could capture him, direct research of his Soul Anatomy would be interesting…**

As he focused on this, he realised he had forgotten something. **Ah yes, the other little rats are still scurrying about the maze, looking for the exit. How about we send something for them to play with…** With that, Szayel turned on the audio receptors, tuning the signal to a wavelength he hadn't used yet. "Baltasar, it's time."-Szayel announced, not sparing any honorifics for the lower being. He heard a loud grunt as the being responded-"About time, Szayel-sama. So, who do I get to hunt?"

(P.O.V change)

"STARK! What in hell are you doing!"-a loud, female voice suddenly shouted, Yoshirou sliding to a stop as he neared the exit of the tunnel he was following. Yoshirou frowned at hearing the voice, once again it held none of the distortions that could be associated with the voices of Hollows, so that meant there was another arrancar ahead of him now. **I knew this was a trap, but just how many Arrancar were hidden here? **Yoshirou thought in wonder as he neared the tunnel exit, drawing his katana clear of its sheath. **What's more, with whatever this damn interference is with my sensing ability, I've got no way of telling how strong my foes are.**

Yoshirou pressed himself against the tunnel wall, hiding in the shadows as he looked out towards whatever the voice came from. To his surprise, he saw a young girl, her back to his view, dressed in the white clothing he had come to expect from the Arrancar, albeit it looked like this one wore is little as it could get away with, Yoshirou could only see tight briefs, knee high boots, some kind of short top and arm warmers. Yoshirou couldn't help but wonder why the girl had opted to wear so little, light green hair poking out from under some type of horned helmet as she stood, hands on hips obviously berating whoever this Stark was. **What the hell? The Arrancar don't just encompass adults? **Yoshirou thought with wonder as the girl marched out of his view.

Yoshirou's brow furrowed as he considered just why there was a child Arrancar present. **She didn't even have a sword, why on earth was she brought here? I doubt she's a combatant, but I don't get why Aizen created an Arrancar which served no purpose.** Yoshirou then jumped, startled by a cry of pain from nearby, an instantly recognisable, gruff voice shouting out-"NO! STOP THAT, LILYNETTE!" **Impossible!** Yoshirou thought in shock as he veered around the corner, walking into the recognisable cavern with shock. **How! How can I be back here?** Yoshirou wondered as he saw before him the girl had apparently decided to leap upon the prone Arrancar from earlier, torturing him for some reason. "You just let that Shinigami walk right back out of here! You know our orders were to fight him, so… WHY ARE YOU FALLING BACK ASLEEP AGAIN!"-the girl Arrancar named Lilynette shouted again, fists raining down on the recumbent Arrancar as he cried out in distress, trying in a futile attempt to stop the rain of blows.

Yoshirou could only watch in surprise at the struggle, once again too many questions crowding his thoughts. Primarily was how he managed to get back here, the turns the tunnel took didn't correspond right for him to have returned to this chamber again, there was no way the route could have brought him back to here, it didn't make sense to Yoshirou. Secondly, from what the little girl just said, the older Arrancar, apparently named Stark, was meant to fight him, but had apparently chosen not to, or at least delayed taking him on. So many things just didn't match up, even the way that the two Hollows were acting now, once again it struck him as a scene he would expect to see not in Hollows, but in Humans.

**Just what are the Arrancar?** Yoshirou wondered as the girl suddenly turned her head towards his direction, Yoshirou obviously having made a noise that drew her attention. He knew Arrancar were Hollows who gained Shinigami abilities, but seeing first hand this scene, it seemed the research Mayuri had made never showed any suggestion that their mentality would change so much too. The Vizards were the anti-thesis, Shinigami who gained Hollow powers, but they were still fundamentally Shinigami acting, but this scene before him, a little girl Hollow obviously berating the lazier and stronger Hollow he would never have seen between normal Hollow, it was as if they were becoming human in their transformations, despite the holes and masks that their bodies still showed.

"Ah, he's back!"-Lilynette suddenly said in surprise, Yoshirou noting off hand that her single see able eye was a unique hue of pink as her hands pausing in their attack upon Stark. Stark took the opportunity to halfway pick himself off of the boulder, scratching his head with a gloved hand as he said-"See, he couldn't have left anyway, so I didn't let him go." Yoshirou stood at the ready, still keeping his zanpakuto out as he said-"How did you managed to trap me here?" Stark raised an eyebrow questioningly as he propped himself up, turning his body so his feet would reach the ground as he sat facing Yoshirou. He sighed, before saying-"I didn't say I trapped you here, your just assuming it had to be me, Shinigami."

Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. If the Arrancar wasn't responsible, that meant somebody nearby had control, trapping him in either an illusion, or somehow manipulating the tunnels so they led back to this point. Lilynette leapt off the rock impatiently, as she said-"So aren't you going to kill him now?" She suddenly cried out, Stark's fist lightly landing on her helmet as he said-"Your getting ahead of yourself, that Szayel said he's a strong guy, you don't even know if I can kill him, besides what's the rush?" Lilynette growled as she rubbed her injured head, before suddenly spinning about, her boot lashing out as it smashed into the older Arrancar's shin. Once again, Yoshirou was forced to watch another staged show as the Arrancar cried out in pain, gloved hands going to his shin as he asked-"What was that for!"

Lilynette went *Hmph!* as she ignored the older Arrancar, turning to face Yoshirou. Yoshirou saw a grin in her features as she said-"Fine, if you wont do it, I'll kill him" Yoshirou hesitated, unsure as to what to do as the younger Arrancar reached a hand up to her helmet. Stark had stopped his acting, watching Yoshirou intently with one eye, Yoshirou not noticing the piercing glaze as the Arrancar sized him up. Suddenly, he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he said-"Fine, do what you want." Yoshirou readied his stance, as he watched the girl suddenly pull on her helmets horn, a curved scimitar somehow pulled out from the helmet she wore on her head. **How in hell does that work?** Yoshirou wondered as he squared his stance, unsure as to how such a big scimitar could have fitted into a helmet.

As Yoshirou watched, the girl suddenly charged at him, running towards him with her newly made sword as she shouted out a battle cry. **Wait, she's far too slow…** Yoshirou thought, he had expected the insanely fast movements he had remembered from his engagement with Grimmjow, that strange speed technique Sonido he had used, so reminiscent of Shunpo. However, not only was this girl charging directly at him, but her movements were too wide, her arms swinging wide as she shouted a loud battle cry. **Does she even know how to wield a sword?** Yoshirou wondered as he watched the girl leap, his hyper trained combat senses literally viewing the young girl in slow motion. **I don't get this at all; she's so slow I could have killed her seven times over before she could have reached me!** Yoshirou thought, although rather than even swing his Zanpakuto, he calculated where her sword was about to descend, raising his own blade to block the attack.

Stark watched the whole attack with his own eyes, his own hyper attuned senses picking out every movement and consideration Yoshirou made, carefully considering what Yoshirou was going to do in response. After realising Yoshirou wasn't about to attack, the Shinigami's uncertainty at his foe obviously winning out, Stark decided not to intervene to stop Lilynette.

Lilynette bellowed out as she brought her scimitar down upon Yoshirou's blade, the two blades creating sparks as they slid off one another. **She's weak too, far too weak to pose any kind of threat…** Yoshirou realised, barely feeling the weight from the blow, Lilynette growling with annoyance as her blade failed to reach him. Yoshirou suddenly noticed that the Arrancar from earlier was watching him, his blue-grey eyes that earlier had seemed so unconcerned now showing a piercing gaze, watching him, almost evaluating him. **Did he set her on me so he could evaluate what I would do?** Yoshirou wondered, as he felt the slight weight lift away from his blade, the Arrancar girl preparing to swing again, as if she could force his blade away with her own strength.

This time, Yoshirou pulled his blade back, his movements far faster than his foes as he side stepped, his movements too fast for the Arrancar girl to detect as she shouted out, sword descending towards him again. This time, Yoshirou kept his gaze on Stark's eyes alone, and was surprised by what he saw, the Arrancar's eyebrows raising slightly as he realised he had been caught out. When he moved, Stark's eyes had perfectly followed his own movements, the older Arrancar's senses obviously able to keep up with Yoshirou's speedy movements. Beside him, he heard a cry of surprise as Lilynette had realised he wasn't there any longer, her blade falling through the air as she lost her balance with her surprise, landing clumsily where Yoshirou had been standing.

**So, he's the real deal then** Yoshirou thought, as the girl picked herself up from the dirt, casting a furious look at him for making her look stupid. "You bastard!"-Lilynette cursed as she charged towards him again, her scimitar swinging for him. Once again, Yoshirou vanished, this time using a faster shunpo step instead of just dodging, his eyes watching Stark's own for a reaction. Once again, as he reappeared, Stark's eyes had followed his movements perfectly, his eyes able to keep up with Shunpo movement with ease. **Not good…** Yoshirou realised as once again, the girl tumbled into the dirt. **He's fast, faster than that Grimmjow I fought before if he's able to keep up with my Shunpo movements.**

Once again, the girl pulled herself from the dirt, reiatsu glowing around her as she turned, now completely furious. "JUST DIE YOU BASTARD!"-Lilynette screamed, a ball of green energy now glowing before her helmet's eye socket. **Cero?** Yoshirou wondered, as the ball condensed, suddenly blasting out as a beam at him. Yoshirou raised his free hand as the beam flew straight for him, fingers spread outwards towards the Cero. The beam flew straight for him, slamming into his palm as the air distorted about him, blasting past him. **But it's still too weak** Yoshirou thought as he felt the roiling energy collected at his palm, trying to burn through the reiatsu his body put out naturally to harm his body. **Even subconsciously I can stop this Cero** Yoshirou thought as he closed his fingers, the beam condensing into a furious ball of glowing green energy in his hand. As the young arrancar watched in surprise, he clenched his fingers into a fist, the energy spraying out between his fingers as he crushed the Cero in it's entirety with his grip.

"Give it up, little girl, you can't fight me with this kind of power."-Yoshirou stated as he unclenched his hand, his palm showing no signs of wear from the reiatsu he had just crushed. The girl spat on the ground, as she said furiously-"I'll kill you, you stupid shinigami!" Yoshirou ignored the younger Arrancar, looking back up at Stark, as he stated-"It's pointless trying to gauge my strength with this, Arrancar! I'm not even at half my full power yet, she can't do anything that will show you the extent of my strength!" Stark sighed, rubbing a palm into his forehead as he replied-"I'm not trying to, Lilynette gets too hot headed at times, so I let her have a try. You didn't look like the type to attack a weak girl, so I didn't worry about it."

Yoshirou narrowed his eyes at the Arrancar, as he replied-"You don't know anything about what I might or might not do, I can kill that girl in an instant if I want to!" Stark moved his hand away from his face, fixing his piercing gaze upon Yoshirou again, as he simply stated gruffly-"But you won't, will you?" Yoshirou growled slightly with frustration, the Arrancar had read him perfectly. **He must have noticed the slight hesitation I made when she attacked!** Yoshirou thought as he advanced forward, walking towards where the girl was picking herself up again. Once again, Lilynette shouted out as she charged at him, but this time Yoshirou watched the attack, the sword flying towards his body, waiting until the very last second. Just as the sword was about to cut him, he caught the blade with his free hand, twisting quickly with his wrist to break the girls grip on the scimitar. Spinning on the spot, as the girl overbalanced from the surprising move, he hurled the scimitar away, the blade screaming through the air as it flew for the older Arrancar.

Stark simply watched Yoshirou, his eyes and nerve not hesitating in the slightest as the blade flew for his head, even as Lilynette saw where the blade was heading, shouting out a warning to Stark. Stark didn't even twitch or flinch as the blade went straight for his head, before it passed his face, the blade cutting the air less than a centimetre away from his cheekbone as it flew past him, embedding itself deeply within the wall behind his head. Yoshirou's burning gaze fixed upon Starks own as he said-"I think it's time you fight me yourself, Arrancar!"

(P.O.V change)

"This can't be right…"-Tansho muttered as the squad passed through another tunnel. They had followed the way they had come back towards the exit, but they hadn't managed to find the exit at all, nothing but more tunnels. "Haneko-san, shouldn't we have already cleared the exit by now?"-Fuyu asked, kicking at a nearby rock in frustration. Further back, Kira had taken to helping Nobuo, despite his insistence that he didn't need her help, his movements had become unsteady from blood loss, so Kira was trying to do what she could to help him keep on walking. She had also realised that something was wrong, the tunnels had extended for far too long, she knew they had followed the right path, but they still were no closer to the exit.

"There's light ahead, we should be getting near now"-Haneko reassured the squad, but he didn't have any recollection that they had walked along this tunnel. Just as the rest of the squad had noticed, the exit should have already been reached, however where he thought they exit had been, there was nothing but another turn in the tunnel. There hadn't been any forks, or alternate paths so they had to be following the right way, but then again there was no exit either. All he could do was lead them forward, towards the seemingly lighter tunnel ahead.

As he walked ahead, eyes scanning the darkness for in case of attack, Haneko realised that they had reached another open cavern, just alike where he had seen Yoshirou trapped, albeit on a smaller scale. **Don't tell me-!** Haneko thought, quickly turning as he was about to order the squad back, when a loud, brash voice shouted out-"Fuck, I was thinking you idiots would never turn up!" Haneko froze in place, as he heard the voice ring out within the cavern. As the rest of the team turned their heads in surprise, they caught sight of the being who had shouted the vulgar challenge.

Standing in the middle of the chamber, jagged teeth shown in his massive, almost cruel grin as he watched the Shinigami, the fragments of his mask forming jagged spikes along his chin, his robes open to reveal his hollow hole in the centre of his torso, the Arrancar laughed loudly as he saw the expressions of surprise on the Shinigami's faces. Haneko turned slowly to ace this new foe, the air displacing beside him as Tansho joined him, his shunpo step ending as he drew his zanpakuto. "So this is an Arrancar?"-Tansho asked as he appraised the foe, Haneko following suit as he drew his own Zanpakuto.

"Damn straight!"-the Arrancar laughed as he reached two hands behind his back. Haneko heard the metallic screech as the Arrancar pulled a pair of swords out of sheaths behind his back. Spinning the blades by their hilts, the swords cutting the air repeatedly, the Arrancar's eyes narrowed, his shark like grin increasing in size as he stated-"Arrancar no, 109, Baltasar Delgado!" With a sudden clash, he swung his blades together, the sword producing sparks as they cut against each other, the Arrancar asking-"Now, which one of you do I kill first?"

(P.O.V change)

The wind was blowing peacefully throughout the open clearing, the fallen leaves blown dancing as the boy sat, meditating upon the flat rock, concentrating his thoughts inwards and towards the blade that stood, embedded in the rock just before his sitting figure. Or at least that was the intention, but just as he had expected, the entire clearing refused to be at peace, a loud frustrated scream piercing the calm as the man nearby started smashing his sword off of a nearby boulder, shouting in frustration-"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! You son of a bitch!" Hitsugaya sighed with frustration as he heard the blade ring off the rock as Yumichika smashed his sword again and again into the boulder, continuing his screaming with-"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! Break, break, break! Break, damn you! You're pissing me off!"

**Why can't they just keep quiet!** Hitsugaya wondered as he closed his eyes, trying to focus his thoughts again as the screaming was cut off, something having disrupted the antagonised man's outburst as Matsumoto shouted-"SHUT UP! Can't you be quiet for two seconds?" **That's rare, a useful suggestion… **Hitsugaya thought as Yumichika shouted back-"But Fujikujaku is driving me nuts! He's arrogant, snobbish, and thinks he's the most beautiful thing in the world! He's the worst! I don't think I'll ever get him to materialise! He won't do it, no matter how I ask!" Hitsugaya tried to ignore the outburst again, focusing his thoughts.

However, Matsumoto wouldn't let the matter drop, replying-"What's the problem, he sounds just like you. Haineko on the other hand, is selfish, moody, lazy and stupid!" Hitsugaya almost felt like rolling his eyes, his Vice Captain had just perfectly listed off the words he could use to describe her personality. Matsumoto continued without having realised this, saying-"I guess same types repel, huh? My, my…" **Oh great, here comes the fight…** "Well, she sounds just like you. You're the type of person who'll say "That's not me, I don't look like that!" when they look at their picture."-Yumichika replied sarcastically, Hitsugaya slightly surprised at the words he had chosen, since only the other day he had seen Matsumoto looking at an old photo and declaring those exact words.

Just as he predicted, this snide comeback started off a fight behind him, Matsumoto threatening him to dare repeat that. Deciding he had had enough of these distractions, Hitsugaya gave up on his meditations as he turned his head his anger getting the better of him as he shouted angrily at the two bickering officers-"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU IDIOTS! Concentrate! Don't make me send you back to Soul Society!" As the two officers suddenly stopped arguing, realising they had annoyed the Captain, Hitsugaya turned his head back, muttering under his breath-"Seriously! You can't converse with your sword if you don't settle down."

He cast a glance at the opposite boulder to him, Ikkaku sitting in perfect silence, his sword lain across his legs as he meditated, unperturbed by the bickering that was going on. **Why can't they learn from his example?** Hitsugaya thought as he closed his eyes, focusing once more on the blade before him. Once again, the bickering picked up quietly behind him, but the two officers kept it quiet so as not to anger him again. Hitsugaya suddenly heard a grunt from Ikkaku, before the man muttered-"The clouds are moving so fast…" Unsure if Ikkaku was talking to him, or just thinking aloud, Hitsugaya opened his eyes, looking at the solitary 3rd seat as he asked-"Did you say something, Madarame?" Ikkaku exclaimed slightly in surprise, not having expected to be questioned as glancing down at the diminutive Captain. With a small shake of his head, Ikkaku regained his meditating pose as he said-"No, nothing…"

Hitsugaya watched the solitary figure again for a second. He knew Ikkaku to be the kind of person with instincts sharper than many, able to pick up on the small details that could be important, so for him to notice something, it would indicate something was potentially wrong. Hitsugaya cast his own eyes up to the heavens, looking for any indication of what he meant. He was surprised to see Ikkaku was right, the breeze that was blowing was quite gentle, but the clouds were moving far faster than they should have been, especially around a certain patch in the sky. **It's almost like what I'm seeing is being distorted…** Hitsugaya thought as he tried to look closer, to see whether it was just his mind playing tricks or not.

Suddenly, a black line cut through the sky, the dimensions seemingly tearing as the line expanded, twisting and contorting. **What the-!** Hitsugaya thought, before he suddenly felt the reiatsu the now expanding hole was emitting, shadowy figures hidden in the darkness of the hole. **Arrancar!**

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Hehe, well now i've merged the timelines, the whole Stark fight might end up being a tad bit long, but oh well, i'll have to think of ingenious ways to keep the fight going long enough. I hope to god I portrayed him all right, he's acting in a mixed way, halfway between his casual style and the way he confronted Kyoraku, since Aizen isn't there to keep an eye on him, he's acting a tiny bit more freely, however I dunno if I managed it alright or if i made a mess of it... oh well. Also, a new Arrancar for this arc, don't expect much of him, he's a one arc foe, don't look forward to seeing more of him after this piece (tried to pick a spanish sounding name for him, I hope Baltasar Delgado is spanish-y enough)

Anyhow, seeya all next chapter!


	27. Shikai Data

Hrm, thought I had put this up somewhere before 0.0, oh well, must have deleted it by accident. Following Kishi's review question, I'm going to re-put the initial battle data for Taiyoukousen, and as an additional bonus, I'll put down the newer data up to the recent chapters. Anyhow, enjoy reading! (am working on chapter atm, a bit difficult, I'm trying to break the fights into sizable *engagements* that run between multiple fights, rather than doing one massive long fight in one go like I'm used to doing. Hopefully it will work out right)

Taiyoukousen-Rays of the Sun

Release command-Akariotorou-Let in the light

Sealed form (initial)- The sword form is a basic katana shape, with a sun shaped crossguard. The sword handle is wrapped in golden thread. Sheath is also golden in colour

Sealed form (post Bankai)-The sword's sealed form is mostly alike to before, same handle wrap, guard and blade length, but now the metal that forms the blade is translucent, which emits a flowing light along the blade length. Etched into the blade is the words- "the blade that defends the cherished"

Shikai- (Comparison real life blade: Greatsword / Zweihander) The blade has extended to nearly 6 feet, taking the shape of a Great Sword, albeit thicker, the blade width 10 inches in total, with a 2 inch gap running along the centre of the blade, which tapers up to the tip of the blade. Located above the pommel, where the blade is thickest, there is a hollow circle cut out four inches wide. The handle has extended to be used in a 2h grip. Attached to the end of the handle is a small tag with a sun insignia inscribed on it. The blade is made out of a yellow tinted translucent metal. The metal for the blade is slightly thicker than average, with a thin amount of the cross section hollowed out throughout the entire blade, where the light energy is channelled for use as the blade edge. The actual edges of the sword are rounded off and blunt, the edge being formed from the summoned light rather than the metal, which while the edge is in effect grants it unparalleled cutting strength, but out of effect is easily damaged and useless for sword combat (seen when Aizen sheared the blade in half after the light edge was cancelled out).

Primary Abilities of blade

Hi Kiwa-Light edge-When Yoshirou channels his reiatsu into his blade, the edge extends out slightly in the form of light, the hollow parts of the blade also glowing with the summoned light so the blade as a whole glows with light. This edge is able to cut through anything other than another Zanpakuto, although it is possible to overwhelm the reiatsu temporarily by forcing a greater reiatsu to clash directly with the blade edge. While this is normally not a weakness since the blade edge is constantly renewed by his reiatsu, in the cases where his reiatsu falls out of control, it renders the Light Edge unusable.

Weight Manipulation-Despite it's massive size, Taiyoukousen weighs extremely little, the blade is actually lighter than an average Wakizashi. In battle, it is possible to manipulate the weight as the sword is swung, a subconscious ability that allows him to swing the blade at extreme speed, but clash with extreme weight in the blade, in terms of upfront power, the weight manipulation allows for attacks with more force than would usually be permitted with the persons strength, allowing the weaker Yoshirou to clash blades on par with the far stronger Aizen, until his reiatsu was forcibly disturbed, causing him to lose control of the ability.

Kido enhancement-By channelling the Kido Reiatsu through his Shikai, Yoshirou is able to massively increase his control and power over his Kido techniques, allowing him to effectively utilise higher level Hado than he usually can control. He is also able to channel particular spells through Taiyoukousen for different uses, giving his Shikai the ability to use particular traits from the channelled spells, electrical discharge, increased impact, creating a trail of the chosen spell and multiple other aspects.

Primary Techniques

Hikari no Ken (pre-Bankai)-Sword of Light- Yoshirou is able to channel his reiatsu into his blade, condensing a sheet of light within the hollow cut out at the centre of the sword. Using a stabbing motion or pointing the Shikai at his target, he is able to propel the attack at his foe at long distances. While imprecise due to it's small size, it doesn't take much reiatsu to use and can be utilised in close range sword combat as well, having the same cutting power as the Hi Kiwa and able to penetrate both defensive Kido and Hierro with ease

Hikari no Ken-(Post Bankai)-Hitotsume, Nade Giri- An enhanced version of the original Nade Giri that involved increasing the blade length to massive proportions using the mechanics of the Hikari no Ken technique, allowing Yoshirou to cut at foes from a long distance away. While Imprecise for smaller foes, for foes of a massive scale, the technique is perfect.

Shodo no Henkan-Conversion to Luminance-A unique ability that allows Yoshirou to activate a type of barrier around him that extends up to a five metre radius away. While not a physical barrier, it has the attributes of nullifying all reiatsu that comes into contact with the barrier, converting the reiatsu into light, hence the technique name. However, there is a major disadvantage to the technique, being the need for absolute stability during its use. While it's a perfect defence for all reiatsu based techniques, it has a fatal flaw of leaving Yoshirou open to any physical attack, since he cannot defend himself while using this technique. This technique is mostly support rather than defensive, since the technique extends a large distance from him, he can enclose other within the barrier as well as himself.

Kyutensasu-Heavens light-An advanced form of the normal light manipulation, this technique channels massive amounts of reiatsu within the hollow cut section of the blade, before firing it out of the gap as Yoshirou swings the blade, creating an arc of light reiatsu that flies towards the foes. This technique is also unique in that, while massively taxing on reiatsu, it has the unique property of being a counter technique, consuming reiatsu that it makes contact with to strengthen it's own properties. In terms of counters, it is a immensely dangerous technique. While if does have a lot of strength to the technique, it doesn't have as much damaging capabilities if it doesn't add any power from a foes technique, so as an offensive attack, it lacks in power unless used against a foes technique.

Bankai- Yet to be revealed

Revealed Attributes-Reitsu boost-The exact mechanics are still unconfirmed, but using Bankai massively increases available reiatsu, in a trade off of limited time within Bankai form and an intense taxation to his overall Reiatsu limits and his bodies limits (when he first felt the power, it knocked him out only seconds after he connected, seen at the end of his Bankai training, and even with training, he still nearly collapses after resealing Bankai)

Immense Strength Boost-Again, mechanics are still unconfirmed, but while in Bankai, his physical strength and speed increases dramatically, enough that he can fight on par with the Sou Taichou and even overpower him, albeit since one was in Shikai, and the other in Bankai, this still doesn't confirm him as stronger than Yamamoto since Yamamoto's full strength was never revealed.

If there's anything I missed, don't hesitate to tell me! Hope this answers any questions people might have. See ya all when I finish the next chapter! (As of the moment, in terms of pure battle length, the Stark vs Yoshirou battle is lasting about 7,500 words at the moment, and increasing as I work, in comparison to the next biggest battle, Yoshirou vs Kurosaki which was 5000 words in total, including small breaks for the Vizards observations. As of the moment, the Stark Battle has no Shikai and only mentally cast Kido, acording to what I put in the last chapter about what Szayel has limited. )


	28. Chapter 26

**Yeah it's a bit shorter than usual, but heres the next chapter, read and enjoy! (wow no rant this time 0.0)**

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Stark shook his head slowly, muttering an exasperated-"Jeez…" under his breath, the scimitar quivering beside his head as it poked out from the wall. After a few seconds the Arrancar lowered his head, whether lost in thought or just from exasperation Yoshirou couldn't tell. Stark didn't move for a few seconds, Lilynette having forgotten the battle she just clearly lost as she watched the older Arrancar, quietly saying-"Stark…" Yoshirou slowly straightened his posture, holding his blade loosely to his side as he heard a slow exhaling of breath from the seated man. "Guess I have no choice…"-Stark muttered under his breath, before sharply standing up, tucking his hands into his robes pockets, his head still lowered.

Yoshirou frowned as he watched the Arrancar approach him, neither his posture or the fact that his sword was still sheathed at his side an indication that he actually planned to fight. He continued to watch as the Arrancar approached him, walking easily within his sword's range but still with his sword sheathed. **What is he planning?** Yoshirou wondered as the Arrancar finally stopped, standing right beside him. Yoshirou tensed slightly as he watched out of the corner of his eye, one gloved hand pulled out of the Arrancar's robe. However, the Arrancar still didn't draw his blade, the gloved hand instead landing lightly on his shoulder, the Arrancar finally raising his head as he roughly said-"Let's take this elsewhere."

**Elsewhere?** Yoshirou thought, off hand noticing that much to his surprise, the glove that now gripped his shoulder lightly was actually warm, not cold like a Hollow's body should have been. Suddenly, he realised the small chamber was a lot lighter, a beam of sunlight now piercing the roof of the cavern. Yoshirou then realised his hair was raised, as if he had been hit by a gust of wind, the hair slowly falling to settle on his head as the Arrancar released his shoulder. **What the-** Yoshirou started to think, before realising exactly what had happened.

The cavern hadn't suddenly gotten brighter, they were no longer in the same cavern. No way… Yoshirou though, his eyes widening as he glanced quickly up at the roof of the cavern. Sure enough, the roof had been smashed in, an arc cut out of the rock, letting a ray of sunlight through from the attack he had made earlier. His hair was messed because he had just moved rapidly, the cavern different because it was the massive chamber he had emptied of Gillian earlier, now empty of all presences but their own, the Adjuchas from earlier having fled the scene. Stark had managed to relocate the both of them without Yoshirou even realising.

Yoshirou felt a bead of sweat fall down his face as he realised **fast? That can't be described as just fast, I couldn't even tell we had moved! **Yoshirou heard the distinct noise of Sonido as Stark vanished again. Yoshirou turned, pulling his Zanpakuto into a ready stance as he expected an attack, but nothing happened. Suddenly he sensed the reappearance of the Arrancar behind him, with another person, most likely Lilynette. **Wait, how did I tell he had someone with him?** Yoshirou thought as he spun again, his hands clenching his zanpakuto tighter as he faced the reappeared Stark, who had dropped Lilynette unceremoniously on the ground.

_Your sensing ability has returned slightly, I can feel their presence now, but not much more than that._

Yoshirou nodded slightly as he tried to tune into his reiatsu sensing abilities again. Taiyou was right, he could now feel the presence of the two Arrancars, as the younger girl started shouting at the older Arrancar again, obviously annoyed with how she had been transported. However, it felt hazy, like there was still some kind of interference blocking his senses. Yoshirou wondered why, before he remembered his earlier attack on the cavern. **So it has to be something in the rocks themselves is interfering with my ability… **Yoshirou thought, the massive arc cut out of the ceiling being the weak point that must have lowered the effect on his body.

"While I'm all for not fighting here, not paying attention to your enemy isn't a good idea, Shinigami."-Stark suddenly announced, bringing Yoshirou back to his senses. Adjusting his stance to face the Arrancar head on, Yoshirou said-"Your unexpectedly lenient here, you don't attack when you have an opening, and you brought me where I can fight more easily, this cavern is larger now, and much better for my Kido style, and that massive hole in the ceiling means I can make use of what abilities were blocked earlier. Are you portraying you can beat me without taking the advantages your offered?"

Stark raised an eyebrow in surprise, before shaking his head slightly replying-"No, I don't care about proving anything; I just want to see the best you have to offer. I would take this fight outside, but that would be blatantly ignoring my orders, so this room will have to do." Yoshirou clenched his teeth slightly as he thought **where is this confidence of his coming from? Is he really that strong that he can take me so lightly?**

_Yoshirou, don't get riled! You can't risk using your full power with whatever this problem is that's affecting your soul; you can't use anything that will tax your soul!_

Yoshirou frowned as he thought **So taking him out in one almighty attack isn't plausible then? Out of my abilities, the ones that will cause the most stress to my soul are Bankai and Shunko, so I'll have to use them only as a last resort… The problem is his speed, I don't know how strong he is, but he's definitely fast. **Yoshirou changed his pose as he prepared to attack**. My first option will be to find out just how fast and powerful he is, I'll decide what to do after that.**

Stark sighed again as he saw Yoshirou prepare to attack, he had half hoped he could just keep the conversation going for a while, but it seemed the Shinigami had gotten tired of talking. Yoshirou waited in his stance as Stark's hand went to his sheath, slowly drawing his blade as he announced-"My name is Coyote Stark, Espada of Aizen's army (1). I would like to know yours before we begin." Yoshirou lowered his stance, his feet digging into the earth as he prepared to attack, announcing-"Kido Corps Captain, Yoshirou Kenshin." Stark's sword cleared its sheath, swung before him in a ready stance as he said-"Yoshirou huh, sounds like a good name…"

(P.O.V change)(Baltasar battle)

"So, who do I kill first?"-Baltasar said mockingly to the squad as the remaining men drew their zanpakuto, a wall of blades pointed towards the grinning Arrancar. This is bad! Haneko thought as he tensed his muscles. No matter what level they are, an Arrancar is simply too powerful for our squad. "Brother, we need to get them out."-Tansho stated quietly beside him, having come to the same conclusion. Haneko nodded as he said-"Everybody, you all have to retreat now, we'll handle this guy!" The Shinigami hesitated at his words, unsure as to what to do as the Arrancar roared loudly, his laughter reverberating about the cavern as he said-"Handle me? Don't get cocky, you little worms! None of you are leaving here alive!" As the Arrancar said this, Haneko heard a strange noise, one that he hadn't heard before coming from the Arrancar.

"Tansho!"-Haneko shouted as he pushed his hands forward, both hands on the hilt of his sword as he prepared to cast Kido. "On it."-Tansho stated as he spun about, his back towards the Arrancar as the Arrancar seemingly vanished, unbeknownst to them using Sonido. However, it was halted in it's tracks as it impacted with an immense barrier, Tansho having used the time to erect a barrier that split the cavern in half, one side containing the twins and the Arrancar, the other containing the rest of the squad. "Fuck, you worms!"-the Arrancar cursed as it drew a fist back, preparing to smash it's sword into the barrier to get to the rest of the Shinigami. However, Haneko suddenly appeared beside him, his Shunpo ending as his palms erupted with pale blue fire, Haneko shouting-"Hado no, 33. Soukatsui!"

The Arrancar was enveloped in a wall of flame, knocking him back from the Arrancar as Haneko shouted-"Go! Kira-fukutaichou, lead them out of here! You need to get the reinforcements from Soul Society now!" Haneko turned back from the wall, watching the stumbling Arrancar engulfed in flame as Kira shouted-"But what about you two!" Tansho answered for him, saying-"Don't worry Kira-fukutaichou, we are used to fighting together, we will be fine, now go!" Tansho watched as the rest of the squad came to their senses, some of them nodding as they started to run, Fuyu shouting for Kira to come as they ran from the cavern, following the next tunnel.

"Well fuck me, you guys managed to let them escape eh?"-Baltasar growled as he swiped a hand downwards, somehow instantly extinguishing the flames. Haneko's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw their foe was completely untouched despite getting hit with a Kido. The Arrancar grinned once again as he appraised his foes. "So, two worms stayed behind to play, eh? Well, not like they can go anywhere, your all going to die, first you two, then I'll hunt down the other worms!"-Baltasar declared with a grin, as his reiatsu started to build all about him, a massive torrent of Reiatsu with a dark red gleam to it. Tansho's eyes narrowed as he said-"Worms?" at which the Arrancar laughed saying-"Got a problem with your name, worm?"

Tansho shook his head, before pulling on his own reiatsu at the same time as his brother, a cold blue reiatsu building about him with force as beside him, Haneko's own reiatsu raged a fiery red. "Call us what you want Arrancar, but in the end, we shall be the only ones leaving this room."-Haneko declared. The Arrancar snorted strangely as he brought both his arms up, his twin swords glowing with his reiatsu as he said-"Big talk for worms, I'll cut you down to size!"

(P.O.V change)(Szayel)

"Hrm, he let them escape? What a pathetic excuse for a former Espada, he can't even stop a few shinigami."-Szayel noted to himself, saying the words as if they were a factual analysis, rather than him being aggravated with the Arrancar. He didn't really care too much about the other shinigami now, all he had to do was create a loop network of tunnels for them to scurry around in while the Priveron Espada hunted them, the recordings would be amusing to watch later, but he had his attention on an altogether more interesting confrontation.

**I'm surprised that he hasn't removed those remaining limiters of his yet **Szayel thought as he watched the Shinigami commence the attack, his movements a blur on the screen as he charged at the Espada. **He's not going to be able to do anything at that level, even with his power sealed Stark is far too strong for that **Szayel thought as he hummed, his fingers tapping the consoles he brought of various graphs of recorded data and information processes. He was a slight bit surprised at one of the graphs, his eye watching the live feed as Espada and Shinigami clashed blades again and again, the metallic screeches muffled as they came through the speakers he had activated. **Stark-san seems to be holding his power back to accommodate his foe, most interesting… I guessed he wouldn't use all of his power at once, but he's carefully matching his reiatsu output to his foe, that's a considerable feat considering just how strong his full reiatsu is, even in his sealed state he is still stronger than a decent amount of the Espada at full power, only the Sexta and upwards have higher reiatsu released than he has sealed.**

Szayel smiled cryptically as he considered the different ratios Stark's power changed when he used his release. Among all the Espada, their swords only held their true forms back, therein by limiting their combat potential, their reiatsu did not change incredibly with their release. The only exceptions he knew to this rule were the Tres, the Primera himself and the Cero (2). All the other Espada seemed to only gain their enhanced battle abilities upon release, although lately Szayel had been feeling rather suspicious of the Quatro's power, something about the data he held on the Quatro's released form didn't quite match up. Each of the top four Espada were certainly unique in their abilities and skills when they released, but the Primera was who he was truly interested in.

**All the other Espada had their abilities gifted to them from Aizen-sama, even mine are only due to his control of my evolutionary step, but Stark's power is not only his own, but one of extraordinary potential. Out of all the Espada, he can split his own soul and literally create life anew with the fractions of his soul. In theory, he is an evolutionary step potentially above an Arrancar, the Arrancar, even Hollows in general, can only bring death. But, even as frustratingly annoying as that little brat he brings everywhere with him, she is a living entity, separate from him as long as both entities wish it.**

Szayel realised that this trail of thought had brought about an entirely new potential theory he could investigate, so he mentally stored the idea away as he watched the battle on screen, the two combatants breaking away from each other in an explosion of sparks from metal sword. **Why is it that I can never bring these brilliant idea's to the front of my mind when I have nothing to do? I feel as if I need to be seeing the action and chaos before my brain processes are able to fully settle into the pattern for such thoughts, perhaps I will personally oversee battles more often in the future, it is definitely an intro-spective study that I can carry out in my spare time when this battle is over. **Szayel slowly laced his fingers as he leaned his elbows upon the console he had been working upon, resting his chin upon the laced fingers as he fixed his eyes through his hollow bone glasses and to the screen before him.

(P.O.V change)(Stark Battle)

Yoshirou leapt forward, the earth cracking beneath his feet as he attacked again. Charging right at the Arrancar, he swung his blade straight for his foe, aiming for his chest. Stark's eyes narrowed as he cut upwards with his zanpakuto, the two blades cutting against each other, sparks flying everywhere as they cut, both blades making a keening noise from the contact, each of their owners reiatsu's battling for supremacy within the blades. The air pulsed about them as the world caught back up with the speed Yoshirou had moved, the air distorting about the two combatants. Stark continued his cutting attack, blade running along Yoshirou's own as he pulled upwards, before the blades separated. Continuing his cutting motion, Stark pivoted on the spot, turning his back to Yoshirou as he brought his blade downwards away from Yoshirou. Just in time for both blades to clash again, Yoshirou's eyes widening in surprise as he reappeared behind Stark, his second attack blocked by the Arrancar's movements.

**He followed my movements at that speed!** Yoshirou thought in surprise, their blades screeching again as Yoshirou tried to force Stark's blade back. **His battle perception is amazing, that technique was good enough to catch Soi Fon off guard, the fastest captain of Soul Society, but he saw right through it!** "Not a bad technique."-Stark stated, his arm moving slightly as he adjusted to the pressure from blocking Yoshirou's blade, his eyes fixed on Yoshirou's own. Behind him, Yoshirou's after image disappeared, dispersed by the fast flowing air from their reiatsu. Yoshirou furrowed his brow as he leaped back, their swords breaking apart before he landed a few metres away.

Stark watched him take his pose again, before vanishing himself. Yoshirou relied on his senses to depict where he would reappear, timing his jump backwards as the distinctive noise from Stark's Sonido ended behind him, Stark's blade cutting empty air as Yoshirou leapt above the blade. Spinning in mid air, Yoshirou tried to bring his blade down upon the Arrancar's head, but Stark had vanished with Sonido again. Yoshirou barely managed to twist his body in time, the blade slightly cutting his robes as he avoided Stark's follow up lunge, the Espada having reappeared in mid air beside his body. "You've got decent reflexes as well."-Stark noted, pulling his sword back as Yoshirou vanished with Shunpo, reappearing once again in mid air a bit further away.

"I could say the same to you, Stark."-Yoshirou noted, a small smile on his face. Stark raised an eyebrow from the expression, before slowly saying-"That's strange, I didn't think you were the type to get excited in battle…" Yoshirou simply said-"It's been a while since I could have an all out fight with somebody whose my equal, now I get to do it twice in one day, of course I would get excited." Stark just watched him silently for a few seconds, before shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, whatever. But I think you might be a bit presumptuous to say equal with that level of power."

Yoshirou smiled again, but he was trying to concentrate on what he had learnt during the small clash. **He's at the very least faster than me right now, and a definite match for my strength since he was able to stop my sword. However, that's also with no knowledge of whether he's holding back or not. With the sealing bands still in effect, I'm only at half my full strength, but I still don't know if that will be enough, speed wise he definitely has the edge no matter what, I just have to hope my full physical strength is the greater!**

(P.O.V change) (Soul Society)

Rukia's eyes widened with shock at the words she sensed from the Hell Butterfly, the small insect lazily flapping before her with no sense of urgency, quite unlike the news that it had to bring. As her mind tried to make sense of the warning, she turned her head, eyes searching for her Captain. Ukitake had risen from his sitting position outside of the training pit, eyes serious as a second Hell Butterfly lazily floated by his head, a sign that he had also received the same message. "Kuchiki!"-the Captain called out, the words carrying a weight of urgency to them. Rukia quickly replied with a-"Yes! I've already hear the message too!"

Ukitake nodded in confirmation as he quickly waved an arm out to the side, gesturing into the distance of central Seireitei as he quickly ordered-"A Kido Platoon should have already opened the passage! Hurry to the nearest Senkai Gate!" Rukia nodded in reply with a quick-"Yes sir!" quickly sheathing the zanpakuto that she had used during her practice with Inoue. Rukia turned to run, her legs already pumping as she started to run towards the training pit's wall before Inoue started to run after her, shouting-"Wait, I'll go too!" Rukia stopped in her tracks quickly, turning to Inoue as she said-"You can't, Inoue."

Inoue skidded to a stop slightly before looking at her with a shocked expression. **I'll have to explain** Rukia thought internally, knowing that every second she wasted, the Espada were getting closer to the Relief team, and more specifically, Ichigo. "Without a hell butterfly, you'll get trapped in the tunnel's dimension almost automatically."-Rukia explained, as her captain suddenly appeared in the pit nearby to Inoue with his Shunpo, also adding in a calm tone-"I've given the order to secure safe passage to the real world for you. It'll take a bit of time, but once everything is prepared, you must go to the real world too. I realize you're in a hurry, but at times like this, it's important to keep your calm, understand?"

Inoue's expression became crestfallen as she quietly replied-"Okay…" Realising she was just as desperate to protect her friends as she was, perhaps even more so, Rukia added-"Don't look so down, Inoue." As Inoue looked up at her, she smiled warmly as she said-"I'll be waiting for you on the other side." As Inoue nodded, a more determined look on her face now, Rukia turned away. Leaping towards the training pit's wall, she quickly cleared it in two short jumps, before dashing towards Seireitei as fast as she could without tiring herself out.

As she ran, she had the chance to try and think things over in her mind. **It's impossible! Multiple Espada? It's too soon… The Hougyoku was supposed to take longer to fully awaken! What in the world is happening? **With no forth coming answers to her questions despite her thought, she focused on running. **I just have to hope Ichigo doesn't try and get himself killed again by that Espada, but with multiple Espada, there's only four people in the real world with enough strength to take them on, even including Ichigo, he's definitely going to fight! I just have to hope he's become strong enough to fight them since I last saw him, we can't hope a Captain will come to save us again, the others can't mobilise without the Sou Taichou's permission, the only one who would mobilise at hearing this is away on a mission.**

Rukia's brow furrowed slightly as she continued to run. **…must be a coincidence, there's no way Yoshirou-san could have been drawn away on purpose before the invasion began…**

(P.O.V change)(Stark Battle)

Lilynette could only watch in surprise as the two combatants clashed again and again in an amazing display of swordsmanship. She knew Stark always held back when he fought, but to see the Shinigami manage to keep pace with him, swords ringing out as they clashed again and again at inhuman speeds, both combatants arms merely blurs in her vision as swords parried, stabbed and slashed at one another, the edges of their bodies also distorting as each man side stepped, dodged and weaved around the foes incoming attacks. In the eyes of the combatants though it was a different situation, each move carefully placed and avoided as they continued their dangerous dance.

Yoshirou could feel the sweat pouring off his body as he pulled his head to the side, avoiding the stabbing blade from the Espada again before ducking down, the stab turned to a slash. Bringing his own Zanpakuto up, he slashed at the Espada, forcing him to jump back again. Rather than recommence the fight, Stark leapt back again once his feet found purchase on the ground, opening up the distance between them properly. **Damn, didn't manage to hit him once…** Yoshirou thought as he raised a hand to his cheek, wiping away the line of blood from one of the attacks he hadn't fully avoided. While he had been fast enough to avoid any real damage, he did take the odd cut from the fast blade, his Haori looking worse for wear from the times Stark's blade had reached it.

Across the way, Stark breathed out slowly as he appraised his foe once again. "We should really stop trying to test each other out now, while I'm fine with not fighting seriously, I don't think we have much longer to play."-Stark noted, reaching a gloved hand behind his neck. "What do you mean?"-Yoshirou asked as he took his stance again. "STARK, YOU IDIOT YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO MENTION ANYTHING!"-Lilynette suddenly shouted from the floor of the cavern. Mention what? Yoshirou thought, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Nothing much, just the other Espada are attacking Karakura Town."-Stark stated, eyes fixed once again on Yoshirou's for a reaction.

**WHAT!** Yoshirou thought, trying to concentrate his senses, to pick up the reiatsu outside the room. However, whatever was blocking his sensing ability meant he couldn't distinguish anything nearby, only what was within the chamber, and only vaguely at that. Yoshirou grimaced slightly, his teeth clenched as he stared at the Arrancar, trying to judge whether or not he was telling the truth.

_Don't lose focus, it's probably not true anyway, think about it. Why would he mention a time limit if that was the case? He's trying to rile you up!_

**Probably **Yoshirou thought. **But regardless, I've taken too long now, I can't afford to just play with him… **As he thought this he concentrated, bringing a hand up to his Zanpakuto. As he pulled on his reiatsu, he declared-"Akariotorou, Taiyoukousen!" As he pulled his hand along the blade, the sword glowed bright as it covered with light, extending towards its full length. However, no sooner than he finished pulling his hand along the blade, his hand lifting away, the light that covered the transforming blade vanished, leaving nothing but a glowing katana in his hand.

**What the-! Taiyou, what happened!**

_I…I don't understand…the moment you tried to pull out my true form with my reiatsu, it all just dispersed! I lost the amount of reiatsu you pulled out, so you definitely released my true form, but it dispersed before it was fully formed!_

**What the hell is happening, now I can't even use my Shikai?** Yoshirou thought in a panic. Stark across the way raised an eyebrow, before suddenly asking-"Your zanpakuto not working? Well that's a bit disappointing…" Yoshirou growled slightly, trying to hide his panic behind a dark expression as he watched the Arrancar, who seemed to be thinking about something. However, Stark just shook his head exasperatedly as he stated-"Can't be helped I suppose, we just wont use our releases then, didn't exactly want to go all out anyway, it's a pain in the ass to control my strength when I'm like that..."

Yoshirou furrowed his brows, before sighing. **Well, if I can't use Shikai, I'll just have to go all out without it.**

_Do you think you can handle an Espada without my power?_

**I really don't know, but all of this training has to have made me at little bit stronger even without your help, I'll just have to hope his best isn't better than mine.** As Yoshirou said that, he pulled on all of his available reiatsu, light cascading about his body as he reached an arm around to his other, his hand touching the bands on his arm. Stark watched the motion with interest, before saying-"So you're finally going to get serious?" Yoshirou nodded, at which rate the arrancar swiped his sword down to his side, before literally exploding with blue Reiatsu. Yoshirou watched with shock as a seemingly pillar of reiatsu raged out around the Arrancar, the sheer force blowing him backwards, the air seemingly creating a wall that was trying to force him back. "Fine then, no more feeling each other's strength out."-Stark stated, his eyes shining with his blue reiatsu as he faced Yoshirou.

**Damn that's some nasty reiatsu he has!** Yoshirou thought as he dug his feet into the ground, stopping his sliding motion. **Even without being able to sense it, I can feel how powerful it is through my skin, is this the real power of the Espada?** Yoshirou raised his hand to the bands again, thinking **If I'm right, I may just be able to do it, even at this level, it's going to be tough, but I may just be able to. **With that, he pulled the remaining bands from his arm.

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**Like I said, short. Anyhow, this chapter marks the beginning of the battle for Stark and Yoshirou, this was merely the first step, when the two combatents are still testing each other for their potential, hence Yoshirou waiting to remove his remaining bands and Stark carefully matching his speed to his foes. While I liked the idea of not being able to remove the bands, in the end I settled for Shikai sealing, an effect that Szayel brought about. Szayel was able to seal Renji's Bankai from seeing it in use for a few minutes, so sealing a Shikai should be easier, and Yoshirou used his Shikai for quite a long time while facing the earlier Adjuchas.**

**Now, i'm once again playing with another idea, i'm tempted to bring Soi Fon into helping with the Arrancar Incursion, y'see I was never satisfied with just how much time Luppi conveniently wasted while Hitsugaya was preparing his technique, so since Soi Fon was meant to be on standby to enter the real world anyway, I figured piting her against Luppi for a little while would be fun. It won't be a big ass battle like Stark vs Yoshirou, but since she's meant to be the O.C's love interest now, I kinda want to give her a more active role, even if it defies Tite Kubo's original story plan.**

**Also, while this story has taken some of the total amount of words from the Stark fight (I wrote the fight, then arranged the extra sections about the breaks in the fight), as of the moment there is still another 7000 words or so to try and mix in, which makes the total word length around 10,000 with the bit here (Now double the length of the previous longest fight)**

**Anyhow, seeya all next chapter!**


	29. Chapter 27

**Over...worked...at Uni... Sorry, been getting real run down with alla my work, my course was certainly a hit the ground running a marathon type, i've had next to no time to write anything, even just getting out these few, meagre words took everything I had. I must apologize if this chapter sounds crappy, I haven't done any major editing to it since I just simply havent had time, so please forgive typos, if I have spare time in the future I will redo this better. **

**Also, updates are going to be getting worse, work is really piling up and I got rather ill recently as well, i'm sorry this chapter is short, but please put up with it, I will try to get back on track soon, I have a massive break for Christmas coming up, so I could possibly do all of my good work during that break.**

**Anyhow, rant over, enjoy what I had very little time to do, sorry if poor quality, if you really don't like this chapter I can redo it later, I don't really mind too much, my head is kinda fuzzy at the moment so some of it mightent even make sense, anyhow enjoy if you can.**

* * *

"So it begins…"-Szayel murmured to himself, his smile showing an oddly excited look to his face, one that he would never have shown his useless subordinates, his blood being excited just from watching this soon to become amazing battle, the mightiest soldier of the Espada, the Primera, Aizen-sama's strongest servant among the Espada, against the Shinigami Captain that even seemed to deserve Aizen-sama's respect, the Kido Corps Captain, the strongest Captain among Soul Societies remaining pitiful forces, and the pawn of choice for the so called Sou-Taichou.

Szayel was distracted from his thoughts rather abruptly by a signal from his computer display. Dragging his eyes reluctantly from the video feed, his eyes flickered across the data read out that had popped up on the nearby terminal. Szayel's lip curled slightly in amusement as he finished reading, thinking **and just in time, the attack upon the real world commences in earnest. It is a great pity that this will soon be over, as far as this ridiculous plan goes, the Primera and I are tasked to deal with the Kido Corps Captain, while the four chosen Espada are to subdue the entirety of the forces within the human realm, all for taking one girl.**

**While I had thought that the allotment of task priority was ridiculous at first, four Espada against a Captain, two Former Captains, numerous Vice Captains and the ridiculous defences of the human realm. Those four have to beat all of those forces into submission, while in comparison there were two Espada assigned to simply delay this Captain, not to defeat. This formation sounded ridiculous at first, Four Espada against that kind of force sounded suitable, but two against one Captain and only to delay sounded preposterous, I only agreed to this plan so I could observe the Primera. But I have to say Aizen-sama's foresight is more impressive than I thought, if any single Espada or pair except for us had been sent to stop this Captain, the chances of his escape would have increased greatly, and without the limiters I have imposed on his powers, he could have been a serious threat to the Invasion force.**

Szayel frowned as he remembered another task that he had been designated. Reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the standoff on the main screen, Szayel used another terminal to start pulling up various data feeds from across the Human Realm. Each of the Espada had been given a particular device as part of Aizen-sama's plan, a special device designed to record the live feed of each Espada's battle from multiple aspects. While he hadn't been told anything past that he had to prepare a data transfer for Ulquiorra-san's use, it was blaringly obvious, even if ingenious, what the plan was. **Obviously a coercion plan…** Szayel thought as he pulled up the information feeds, transferring the data into a transmittable soul wavelength that could cross the Garganta, an almost impossible feat without his own genius behind the task, making it a mere time consuming task.

**The plan will be to convince the girl to come with us to protect her so called friends, obviously the plan is to make it look like she came voluntarily, the only intriguing point is what they will do to reinforce the illusion, simply blackmailing is something that wont convince Soul Society, the girl will have to have left evidence behind that makes it seem like a betrayal…** Szayel kicked back from the console, his chair tilting back slightly as the task was confirmed completed, his eyes returning to the screen as he considered the final steps in Aizen's plan. **A note by her hand will never work, it will never stand up to scrutiny since she could easily be forced into doing it. The pivotal point will be leaving evidence behind with the humans who have never seen Aizen-sama's illusion work, but just what kind will be good enough?**

Szayel frowned as he considered this, the only option he could come up with was an extreme emotional act that directly revealed her intention to betray them, but that would also be a problem. If she was seen in the real world, Soul Society would swoop down upon them with no warning, especially this man he was watching before him. If the Captain here got wind of the plan, there would be no stopping him without intervention by Aizen himself, or a concentrated effort by at least three Espada, ruining the entire point of the plan being a complete abduction. **Well, all will be revealed in good time** Szayel thought, his frown vanishing as he focused once again entirely onto the screen before him.

(P.O.V change)(Soul Society)

Rukia's sandals scuffed the ground as she turned the final street corner tightly, running flat out towards the immense roaring that she could hear from the powered up Senkaimon, just as her Captain had told her, the Kido platoon had already prepared the gate for emergency departure, her eyes watching as she ran forward, several shinigami running to and fro as orders were bellowed out. Rukia skidded to a stop as she arrived, catching the nearby attendants attention who ran over to attend to her. "I'm sorry, miss, but all unseated officers are restricted from this zone due to emergency law implemented-"-the man said as Rukia tried to catch her breath, replying quickly-"I'm the assigned Shinigami for Karakura Town, I have authorization to depart for my district effective immediately!"

Although it was a swift lie that had been brought up on the spur of the moment, her status as the Karakura District Guardian revoked when she was arrested, the man hesitated slightly in face of her tone. However, Rukia was out of luck as the man in questions knew who she was now he had taken a better look at her, saying-"I'm sorry Kuchiki-san, but martial law indicates-"

The man was suddenly cut off, his eyes opening with surprise as Rukia felt a presence behind her. "Kuchiki Rukia is authorized to leave for the real world, and I intend to take her with me as I depart for the real world, is there any issues?"-a cold voice stated from behind Rukia as she turned, surprise and shock both shown on her face as she recognised the voice of the Captain, the man sweating slightly in stress as he bowed lower, saying-"O-of course not, I meant no disrespect Soi Fon-Taichou, it's just protocol-" Soi Fon stepped forward suddenly, past the stunned Rukia, the man literally squeaked with surprise as he tried to back away, his flow of conversation broken as Soi Fon coldly stated-"Then why are you still obstructing us?"

Rukia had never seen a man go from authority to broken to fleeing so fast in her life, the man running as if the hounds of hell were after him themselves, the 2nd Squad Captain proving her intimidating reputation despite being among the smallest and least threatening looking Captains among the Gotei 13. **Just like a hornet…** Rukia thought before the Captain's head turned to her, Rukia gulping nervously as the Captains eyes focused on her, now feeling for herself the intimidating aura of the Commander of the Punishment Division. "Are you planning to stand still all day, or are we going to leave, Kuchiki Rukia?"-Soi Fon asked, a slightly amused smirk forming on her face as she realised she had frozen the shinigami to the spot with just a look.

"Y-Yes! I mean, okay, Son Fon-taichou!"-Rukia stated, trying to hide her apprehension from the presence of the Captain. She had never expected a Captain to have been waiting to depart at the Senkaimon, in fact it was completely wrong for a Captain to be departing without proper authorization. As Soi Fon walked forward, disappearing into the blue aura of the Senkaimon, she had to act fast as she followed the Captain into the Dangai realm. Catching up with the Captain immediately, two hell butterflies circling about Soi Fon as she waited for her, she turned her back to Rukia, stating-"Can you run?" Rukia nodded, before realising the Captain had turned away. However, before she could say *yes*, Soi Fon stated-"Good" before suddenly running forward herself, her arms trailing in the air as she ran low to the ground.

Surprised that the Captain had noticed her nodding without even seeing her, Rukia started to run as well, one of the two Hell Butterflies Soi Fon had summoned floating along with her, somehow easily matching her running pace. She managed to catch up with Soi Fon, who had slowed her running pace for the younger Shinigami, before asking a question that had occurred to her. "Umm… I'm sorry to ask this Soi Fon-Taichou, but how come you are departing for the real world as well? I thought Captains couldn't move without authorization." The Captain glanced over her shoulder at her, before stating-"I was already on standby for a different mission, while leaving to aid the Relief squad isn't authorized, since I was meant to provide back up in case of an emergency, this situation lies within my orders, so I am going to the Real World as well."

Rukia nodded, keeping her silence despite the amount of questions what the Captain's words had just brought to her mind, instead running behind the Captain rather than testing her patience. However, only seconds later, Soi Fon stated-"If you have another query, just state it instead of keeping silent." Rukia was instantly surprised, the Captain was offering to answer her questions, while the tone she took was the one Rukia would have expected, normally she would have been surprised to even get the time of day off of the silent woman. Putting her surprise aside, Rukia hesitantly asked-"If I may, what was the mission you were supposed to be helping with?"

Rukia once again was surprised as she saw Soi Fon frown, her head turning back forward quickly as she tried to hide her expression from the shinigami. However, she answered quickly-"Since you are involved with this whole incident recently, I doubt there is any ramifications for you to know this information. Before the attack just now, a structure was discovered in the real world with a strange effect about it, housing Hollows without releasing any spiritual presence to be detected. However, the Hollows themselves are acting strange, there has been no reported sightings or attacks in that area, as such the recon team didn't expect Hollow presences, but they were wiped out instantly. Y….Kenshin-Taichou (1) requested to lead a team into destroying the structure, but there is a high chance this was a move by Aizen. After all if anything happens in the real world, Kenshin-Taichou tends to use a respond first, authorization later approach, so it was obvious that Kenshin-Taichou would choose to lead this mission. I disagreed with allowing him to lead the incursion, but the Sou Taichou didn't listen to me, so I requested to be put on emergency response, judging from the attack on the Real World, the decision was a good one."

Rukia could only agree with what Soi Fon was saying. She had known that Yoshirou was on a mission, but judging from what the Captain had told her, it seemed it was a trap anyway, although for what purpose she couldn't tell. However, despite hearing that Yoshirou was in a trap, she was glad that the 2nd Division Captain was authorized to join the battle, having a second Captain in the human realm would massively increase their chance of repelling the Espada, even more so if Yoshirou could complete his mission in time, bringing the total to three Captains, even if there truly was four Espada, having three of the greatest officers of Soul Society present in any battle was immensely reassuring.

**I just have to hope Ichigo doesn't do anything reckless before we can get there, even if Yoshirou-san is in a trap, he's too strong to be beaten that easily, that's why Soi Fon-taichou has prioritised helping the Relief Squad first, I just have to hope we both arrive before there's any casualties. **

Little did Rukia know that despite being a Captain, the other woman's thoughts were nowhere near as hope filled as her own, Soi Fon having realised the true problem in there being four Espada in the Human Realm, her face furrowed as she silently voiced her worries, her own thoughts betraying her emotionless façade if anybody else could hear them. **If there are Four Espada, and Aizen is really attacking this time, then where is he, his traitorous companions, and the other Six? There's been no contact from Yoshirou's squad, so for all I know he could be engaging the remaining forces all on his own, even if he has become stronger, there's no way he can take on that kind of force alone! I need to end the fight with the four Espada, and convince the Relief squad to aid in extracting Yoshirou from that trap, he was such an idiot to have gone in alone to begin with, I just have to hope he can remain alive until we can get there! **(2)

(P.O.V change)

Lilynette felt herself almost hurled across the room as the wind changed once more. Only a quick motion to grab a nearby rock saved her from a world of pain. However, she couldn't help but wonder just how this could be happening. Stark had started to use what power he had within his own body to it's maximum, she was fully sure it was over for the Shinigami. However, within a second, the wind had suddenly changed, the Shinigami's reiatsu flowing outwards in a show of incredible strength, the light so bright that it was almost impossible to see the man hidden within the pillar of gold.

As it was, the wind was no longer being forced away from Stark due to his immense power, it had collected equally within the centre of the chamber, the two air pressures causing nearly gale force winds as what gravel flew through the air, dashing off the rocks from the speed it was blown about with, the air literally feeling like sparks would be made from the immense amount of pressure. Even having been used to being beside Stark all her life, what power she could feel from the Shinigami was terrifyingly strong.

There was a lull as the wind died down, the pillars of blue and gold dissipating into nothing. Time seemed to freeze in the moment, both Arrancar and Shinigami pulling their sword in tight to a stabbing motion, their knees bending at the same time before vanishing. It was like watching an explosion, what wind pressure she had felt earlier didn't compare when the two men clashed, their reiatsu erupting outwards in a spherical wall as they fought within.

Yoshirou and Stark locked eyes once again as they fought, their swords moving at incomparable speeds to before, swords ringing from the force of the blows each man endured and gave. There was a slight spray of blood as Yoshirou's sword stabbed forward, cutting through the side of the dodging Espada clothes as it nicked his chest slightly, Yoshirou's sword claiming its first mark, even if the blow was inconsequential. Stark spun on the spot as Yoshirou pulled his sword back, swinging it upwards as Stark struck again, Yoshirou's arms almost buckling from the force, Yoshirou closing his eyes as he heard the distinctive noise of Sonido, having already realised it was pointless using his eyes further when it came to Stark's speed.

Stark kept on moving at impossible speeds, multiple images of him coalescing in the air as he tried to outdo Yoshirou's own senses. Yoshirou realised that if the Arrancar had chosen to fight in the chamber where his sensing ability was jammed, he wouldn't have stood a chance, his eyes unable to cope with the unbelievable speed from the Arrancar. Within that instant when they first clashed their blades with their full power, Yoshirou could already tell the difference between his sword and Starks. He knew that while he the advantage in the raw strength department, Stark's speed far surpassed his own. As it was, only his heightened sensing ability was able to pinpoint the Arrancar's speed.

As Stark reappeared, his sword aiming to stab through him from behind, Yoshirou side stepped the blow, pivoting as he brought his own Zanpakuto to bear, albeit he was too slow, the Arrancar ducking under the sword strike as he moved in closer, reversing his sword's direction and forcing Yoshirou to Shunpo away from him. Once again, the chamber rocked with the sounds of metallic clashes as both Shinigami and Arrancar started to clash again and again with their speed techniques, the air distorting almost in spherical blasts at each point the two combatants clashed blades, one second clashing on the ground at one end of the cavern, their sword strikes cutting through the nearby rocks with ease, sending explosions of crushed rock everywhere, the next millisecond, fifty metres away at the other end of the cavern, both combatants clashing once again in mid air.

**Tch, he's too fast!** Yoshirou thought again as he was forced to dodge and weave around the Espada's stabbing sword, each movement barely saving his life by a few millimetres as the sword passed by his head again and again, Stark's eyes watching his movements like a hawk, forcing him to dodge every single individual attack, none of the Espada's movements going to waste, every blow calculated to end his life if he didn't block or dodge. However, Yoshirou was starting to see a pattern. It was more like the Espada had predicted his moves, he was barely able to keep ahead of the Espada's lancing blade, already having suffered another slice on his left arm and his right leg, both small wounds now letting his blood flow outwards.

**So, if he is guessing my moves, I just have to keep to my usual pattern, and change it at the last second. **Yoshirou thought as he slashed his blade towards the Espada, Stark jumping back to dodge the blade, before closing the gap between them instantly with a Sonido step, not giving Yoshirou any openings to counter with his greater strength. Once again, Yoshirou drew his blade back, carefully aiming his sword for the Espada's shoulder, playing back in his mind what Stark did last time he attacked in this manner. Remembering just in time, he raised his left arm outwards, making the movement slow so that the Espada wouldn't notice as he lunged forward with the katana in his right.

Stark seemed to notice the movement, but focused only on dodging downwards, pulling his sword into a lunging pose by his hip as the blade curved over his shoulder, missing it's target. **Got him!** Yoshirou thought, keeping his features neutral as he perceived Stark's attack, the blade lunging forward. Now, he would have usually sidestepped or pivoted about this lunge, but this time, he focused his concentration on his left hand, his blade losing it's glow as he channelled his reiatsu to the opposite arm. Stark noticed the sudden change in his behaviour instantly, drawing his sword upwards into a defensive pose, abandoning his lunge in case of any attack. To his senses, Yoshirou's blade suddenly swapped hands, a flash of light playing across his view as the sword nearly instantly reformed in the other hand, Yoshirou swinging towards the Espada with the now much closer blade.

(P.O.V change)

Stark narrowed his eyes as he was forced to block the blade directly, already knowing exactly what was about to come next. He had also been able to tell the difference between them in the first strike, and had predicted any tactics that Yoshirou would use to try and lock their blades against one another, to use his strength directly against Stark rather than have his blade parried away. However, he never predicted something like this, not only was he out-manoeuvred, but Yoshirou could swap sword hands instantly. **Good move, Shinigami** Stark relented in his thoughts as Yoshirou brought his free hand to the blunt side of his katana, his reiatsu exploding into life as he shouted out, his muscles along his arm tensing as he poured all of his strength into the cutting motion, Stark grunting slightly as he felt the force on his blade increase massively, his own strength no longer able to stop the overwhelming power, barely able to keep his blade in place to stop the sword from reaching his body as he felt himself hurled backwards, flying through the air as his body almost felt as if it would be flattened from the wind pressure. As he watched the wall approach rapidly behind him out of the corner of his eye, despite his attempts to slow his movements he thought **this might sting a bit…**

(P.O.V change)

Just like he thought, the Espada didn't have as much direct power as he did, the Espada flung backwards from the force of his strike, skidding through the air as the wind pressure and Yoshirou's own reiatsu flung him backwards, trying to stop his momentum, but too late as he smashed into the cavern wall, his body creating a crater from the impact, dust and rubble flying everywhere from the impact. For one second, Stark's eyes closed as he was stunned from the powerful impact, his body clenching as he reflexivly coughed out all the air in his lungs. Yoshirou saw the opening immediately, quickly using his own Shunpo to close the gap, his sword raised to deal another mighty blow to the recumbent Espada. However, as he reappeared in front of the Espada, he realised the Espada's eyes were fully open, and concentrating once again on him, his composure perfect unlike it had been milliseconds before. **Damn, he tricked me!** Yoshirou realised as he saw the gloved free hand of the Espada raised in his direction, a ball of blue reiatsu being called into existence before his gloved palm. Stark watched him with calm eyes as he uttered-"Cero" (3)

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**CLIFFHANGER BATTLE MOMENT! (man, I always wanted to do one of them)**

**Well chapter over, sorry if it sucks, it was the best I could do, I just didn't want you guys to think I had given up on writing more, it's just that i'm too god damn busy, I have all the plans and notes of what I want to do, but not the time to write them up. Anyhow, seeya al next chapter, whenever I manage to get that out...**

**(1) Like I stated earlier, Soi Fon prefers to keep the whole thing between herself and Yoshirou on low profile, however the other captains already know how she refers to him by name anyway. However, she has no intentions of revealing that to anybody else; as such here she starts to say his name, before referring to his professional title, which in this series is Surname-Title, in other words, Kenshin-Taichou**

**(2) Ah yes, I should point something out here. Every time I do a P.O.V, every person has their own thoughts, opinions on the situations, idea's, plans. It is extremely rare that any one character has the true answer to the situation at hand in their own thoughts, the only man who knows everything is Aizen, and I am not going to do Aizen P.O.V's for a long time yet, it's always more fun when you don't know everything that's going to happen!. In this situation, Soi Fon is imagining the situation as far worse than it actually is for Yoshirou, while in reality, Yoshirou is facing off against effectively two Espada, Soi Fon is worried that there could be far more down there**

**(3) Finally, for now Stark is using his hands to focus his Cero, this is an important point to keep notice of, it isn't me making a mistake, he has used his hand for a reason, since he has a tendancy to try to catch his foes off guard with certain moves.**


	30. Chapter 28

**Another short chapter i'm afraid. I think from now on this will probably be the size of future chapters, rather than my usual 6000-7000 words, sorry but unless you guys want insanely long release times, this is the best I can cope with in my workload.**

**I would have done more work, but i've hit a serious buffer. You see, with the other fights, I have existing charecters to work off of, however now i've made a fight for the twin Shinigami, i'm stuck. I never really thought about how to personify their abilities, or how to design their foe, as such I worked myself into a hole and now can't think of what to do with it. Also, I can't think of anything to do with the rest of the team, Stark vs Yoshirou is already completed and hidden away in another document, I know what I want to do with Soi Fon, but i'm stuck on the remaining 9 team members of Yoshirou's squad, and I think everybody will be dissapointed if I just wave it off and say *they lived* with no details later on, especially after creating a foe for them... difficult...**

**Anyhow, this is all stuff for me to contemplate, you as readers obviously want to get to reading the chapter, right? Well here is the newest chapter then!**

**Ah yes, and thanks to Kevin for joining the reviwer club! BTW, what did you mean by first fanfic? This essentially is the first fanfic, I just cropped the last ten chapters from Part 1 so I could start a new Part 2 since my comp was being buggy, this is still the same story, therefore my first Fanfic roflmao. Anyhow, thanks for the words of encouragement anyway, always nice to hear from a new reader!**

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Yoshirou barely managed to dodge the Cero, his shunpo only just adequate enough to avoid, the edge of his Haori badly burnt as they failed to move with their owner, caught in the massive beam of intense Reiatsu. Yoshirou growled with frustration as he spun through the air, landing hard on the ground as he skidded along the smooth earth floor, trying to stop his momentum from using too sharp an evasive move. As he stopped, he quickly flicked his Haori with his free arm, his own reiatsu and the wind pressure from the sharp movement putting out the flame that had been about to burn his iconic clothing. **What on earth was with that Cero!** Yoshirou thought as Stark loudly pulled himself from the wall, the rock face cracking as he pulled each limb free, before jumping free himself. **That was massive and so powerful, Grimmjow's Cero doesn't even compare to it, it's worlds apart! If I hadn't noticed in time it could have caused some serious damage.**

Stark looked down at him from above, before dropping through the air, slowly descending until he was level with Yoshirou on the ground, his movements still as free and easy as before, his body uninjured despite the massive impact he had just suffered. **That damn Hierro, my Zanpakuto can cut it, but massive impacts won't even faze him… **Yoshirou thought as Stark slowly rotated the wrist he had used to fire the Cero, noting-"Not bad, Shinigami, you noticed I was predicting your moves, so you made yourself as unpredictable as possible to give yourself an opening to use your full strength. A sound plan, that even hurt a little bit…" As the Espada said this, he moved his free hand to his shoulder, flexing his sword arm's shoulder as if to release the tension from the impact. After doing it though, the only sign that he was even affected at all, Stark brought his sword arm down, his blade pointed forward as he stated-"Pity it works both ways, I just made myself unpredictable to make an opening too, if you hadn't been so wary of me, that could have killed you."

Yoshirou brought his zanpakuto into a guard position as Stark stated-"Well, now I've shown you my Cero, isn't it about time you show me this *Kido* that your supposed to be a Captain for? We both know this is going to take forever just using swordsmanship, we are both practically equal in potential so it's just going to be a battle of tiny cuts, and personally that sounds rather annoying to me." Yoshirou frowned as he stated-"I would have to agree, but your not going to get an opening to use that Cero again so easily." Stark raised an eyebrow at that, before swiping his own sword down, what little blood his sword had drawn from Yoshirou's body splashing across the rocks as he said-"We'll see, now prepare yourself, Shinigami."

Yoshirou frowned as he entered Shunpo, closing the gap between himself and his foe before Stark could try another Cero. **The problem is that I really need distance for Kido, but if I leave too much of an opening, he'll use a Cero on me…** Yoshirou thought. **No choice, I'll have to use close range Eisohaki spells if I want to do enough damage. **Pulling his body low, his zanpakuto downwards as the tip cut into the ground, he ripped upwards, ripping through the floor, causing a spray of sharp gravel as his sword arced towards the Espada. Stark instantly used Sonido to escape, avoiding the gravel spray and his sword as he reappeared further away, his hand pointed towards where Yoshirou had attacked, his hand already charging his reiatsu as he once again uttered-"Cero"

**What is he doing?** Yoshirou wondered as he shunpo'd away from the attack easily, the Cero carving out the rock where he stood, causing a massive explosion of rock as Yoshirou closed the gap between himself and Stark in a heartbeat, his sword once again slashing towards the Espada. Once again the Espada repeated itself, vanishing only to reappear further away, his hand raised for another Cero. **Is he trying to calculate my dodging pattern this time?** Yoshirou wondered as he avoided with Shunpo again, the blast slamming into the cavern wall and causing a landslide of rock as Yoshirou closed in on the Espada again. Once again, Stark disappeared, but this time he didn't get a chance to follow up with his Cero, Yoshirou instantly timing his Shunpo with Stark's Sonido before he could even begin charging his attack, his blade lancing out for Stark.

Stark's eyes narrowed slightly as he parried the blade downwards, this time staying his ground as he and Yoshirou traded blows at lightning speed, blades glinting silver and gold respectively as they clashed again and again. "Not bad…You predicted my movement…before I could figure out yours…"-Stark saying, his words broken up as he was dodging and parrying Yoshirou's blade, trying to break past Yoshirou's own guard with stabs and lunges, refraining from slashing moves which Yoshirou could overpower. Stark suddenly vanished with Sonido again, determined to try and make an opening, but he was a fraction too slow, Yoshirou having finally pegged down his movement pattern. **An attack from behind…**

As Stark reappeared behind him, moving in to attack, sword aiming to cut across Yoshirou's back, Yoshirou spun about, surprising the Espada as his free hand moved towards Stark as he shouted-"Hado no. 63, Raikohou!" Stark's eyes widened slightly in surprise as Yoshirou's hand crackled with electrical energy, a ball of reiatsu forming in his cupped fingers. Stark abandoned his attack, hoping to get away before whatever the attack was would catch him, but he was a millisecond too late, the ball fired towards his body with a roar of cannon fire, the Yellow reiatsu engulfing his body in an instant. **Got him!** Yoshirou thought as he used Shunpo, reappearing further away in the air.

Yoshirou couldn't help but smile slightly at his success as he watched the cloud of reiatsu disperse about the Arrancar. However, that smile faltered when he saw Stark watching him with a raised eyebrow, completely unaffected by the spell. **What, no effect at all!** Yoshirou thought with surprise as Stark looked down at himself, as if searching for something on his clothes or body. **But that's impossible, I cut him earlier with my zanpakuto, how can my Kido not be strong enough to harm him! **Stark finished his search as Yoshirou watched him with surprised eyes, his own eye brow raised questioningly as he asked-"What exactly was that meant to do? I asked to see your Kido, not a light show. Come, show me it, I'll even wait for you."

**Damn it!** Yoshirou thought as he pulled on his reiatsu again, quickly sheathing his zanpakuto as he pulled his arms back, his reiatsu exploding about him once again, forcing Stark to move an arm before his eyes, shielding his eyes from the bright light. **There's no way this wont work!** Yoshirou thought as he channelled massive amounts of reiatsu to his pulled back hands, electricity playing over his fingers as he concentrated on the spell he wanted. **Even Yamamoto got hurt by this one, this should blow him away!** Yoshirou thought as he clenched his teeth, feeling his whole body shake from the intense force he was summoning.

Stark watched in surprise as he felt the massive reiatsu of his foe condense hugely, all of it channelled towards his next attack. **What was that attack he used?** Stark thought as he heard Yoshirou growl out with exertion. **I felt a lot of power from it originally, but I barely felt it when it impacted, was it only something to scare me away?** Stark's eyes narrowed slightly as Yoshirou suddenly stabbed both arms forward, legs braced as he finally finished summoning his reiatsu.

Yoshirou brought both hands together, palms outward towards the Espada as he moved his arms so both wrists touched each other. No sooner than the hand's were placed together, the electrical energy collecting at the tip of each finger sparked over the gap between each hand as it increased in ferocity, a complex pattern appearing as the lightning repeated it's paths again and again at increasing speed, until it was sparking between his fingers so fast that a multi pointed star formed between his hands. Suddenly, a ten pointed pentagram drew itself upon his palms, filled with complex figures of light as the electrical storm of energy was drawn to the centre of his two hands, a thin discus of energy screeching as it spun about the centre of the pentagram, the energy drawn and channelled into this discus, focusing at its epicentre, an amazing howl echoing about the chamber, created from wind blasting out from it's rapid movement. Yoshirou literally roared out loud- "Hado no,-!" (3)

However, before he could finish it, he felt something go wrong; the beams of condensed lightening that ran between each of his fingers suddenly dissipating as the spell lost all of its power, Yoshirou's body feeling a wave of exhaustion as he lost control of all of the reiatsu he had summoned. Falling to his knees, breathing hard from the loss of reiatsu, his finger tips playing out tiny sparks of electricity as the spell died in his hands, he thought desperately **Why isn't my power working!**

(P.O.V change)

Szayel breathed out a slow sigh of relief as he watched the Captain fall to his knees, his fingers trembling from the force he had hit each key on the interface when he had realised just how much power the Captain was summoning, quickly putting in the required data to neutralise the summoned reiatsu. Szayel leaned back in his chair, almost feeling weary as he pondered what he had just witnessed. **I have multiple records of the Shinigami magic, the so called Kido. A collective amount of skills that can be manipulated towards any usage, multiple spells with multiple facets and aspects, each tailored towards its own style, even controlling elemental force into the incantations. Originally designed as a counter towards the ever diversifying skills that Hollows exhibited to fight against the sword of the Shinigami, but mostly seen as a redundant combat style compared to the Initial Release and Full Release of the Zanpakuto, mostly used as a substitute until mastery of the First Release.**

**To hear of a so called Captain of the skill intrigued me, since it would mean that perhaps there was more to the skill than I had initially considered, but never have I seen an ability with that much raw destructive force! He could have destroyed half the facility if he had unleashed all of that power in one blast, not even the Cero of the Zero Espada could compare! I saw the spell he used earlier against the Gillians had an amazing destructive potential, but I assumed that was the pinnacle of what he could summon…** Szayel frowned as he considered the screen, watching the Captain. **Seems like there is a consequence for summoning so much destructive power in one go though, his reiatsu has dropped significantly… unless he recovers his strength soon, he could meet a swift end…**

(P.O.V change)(Hitsugaya)

Hitsugaya coughed and spluttered as he pulled himself free from the explosion of ice he had used to try to cushion his fall, his body aching from the hammering it had just received. **Damn it, I didn't expect all the arms to attack at once, how stupid of me! **Hitsugaya realised as he tried to focus his eyes on his foe once again, the Espada that had just sent him spiralling to the earth in one blow. Subconsciously, the ice that sheathed his shoulders regenerated, the dragon like wings reconstructing themselves as the ice fed from his body's reiatsu, a loud crack from behind him announcing the disintegrating of another petal from the ice flowers that signified his remaining time in Bankai. Hitsugaya's face furrowed as he considered how he was supposed to fight a foe with such a strange ability.

**If I fight him directly, he can just get me from behind again, while I hate to admit it, as long as I can't see every attack, I can't defend against them. Their not amazingly powerful, but if I take any more of them I could be in trouble.** Hitsugaya suddenly froze with surprise as he looked towards his foe in the distance, the Espada no longer even looking in his direction. **Did he think he killed me with that attack?** Hitsugaya wondered as he focused on the Espada's strange eight limbed form. **Well, that's an opportunity then, I just need to use a sure fire method to defeat him since he was stupid enough not to confirm his kill.**

Hitsugaya's eyes wandered to the petals that floated behind him, his head turning as he considered his options. He still had plenty of time left in Bankai, as long as he wasn't fighting, the drain on his reiatsu wasn't so great, so the eleven remaining petals would be more than enough. The problem was what he could use to defeat the Espada. He had several idea's, but most of them would endanger everybody on the field, not just the Espada, he could wind up killing his allies if he couldn't control his Bankai powers fully. He breathed out slowly as he considered his last safe option, his breath visible in the air before him from the immense cold of his zanpakuto.

**I could use that, but I don't know whether they can hold out long enough, there's three Espada up there, and even if one of them isn't fighting, I don't know if I can risk them distracting the Espada that long…** as he mused this, he didn't hear the arrival of another presence nearby, until a voice stated-"You look like your having a hard time, Hitsugaya-Taichou." Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he quickly turned his head, trying to locate the owner of the voice. Standing amidst the branches of the closest undamaged tree, Haori flapping in the wind as she looked down at the injured Captain, was the figure of the 2nd Division Captain. Hitsugaya was shocked, only able to utter-"You! What are you doing here?"

Soi Fon merely cocked her head slightly as she watched him, asking-"So how do you explain getting beaten by the enemy so fast, this looks like a rather disgraceful performance to me." Hitsugaya growled slightly with frustration as his eyes narrowed, remembering exactly why he didn't like the taciturn woman, her tendency to look down on others was especially annoying to him, she had seemingly not understood why he had ever been appointed to the Captain seat, always thinking him a waste of a Captains seat. Turning back to watch the Espada he said-"He didn't beat me, he caught me off guard, and assumed his sneak attack killed me, he hasn't even checked to see whether I live or not." Soi Fon seemingly vanished as she reappeared at the base of the tree she had been standing on, her arms crossed as she walked towards the small crater Hitsugaya stood in. "Aren't you lucky then, it would have been a nuisance if an Espada had succeeded in killing a Captain."-Soi Fon stated as she stood outside the splash radius from the ice he had used to cushion himself.

Hitsugaya held his temper in check, instead asking-"Are you here to reinforce the Relief squad then?" Soi Fon nodded as she stated-"While cleaning up from your mess isn't appealing to me in the slightest, there is a more pressing matter at hand that I will need your teams aid for, so finishing this quickly favours me, I assume you have figured it out for yourself already?" Hitsugaya nodded curtly as he said-"Yes, the Sou Taichou made me aware of the mission that the Kido Corps Captain was sent on. I already know that if they have moved in here, then we can assume that he has indeed walked into a trap, so you're here to enlist a larger team to aid in extracting Yoshirou Kenshin then?"

Soi Fon nodded as she looked up at the sky, her eyes narrowing as she focused upon the figures in the distance. "So, what have you learnt about our foes then?"-Soi Fon asked. "There seems to be three Espada still present, although one seems to be hanging back from fighting for an unknown reason, the big one I haven't learnt much about other than he's tough, I couldn't harm him with my Shikai's ice. The monstrous looking one seems to focus upon long distance attacks using the extended limbs, each limb has significant speed and strength, and I'm assuming from the way he used them they are quite dextrous as well."-Hitsugaya listed off, knowing Soi Fon was asking for Intel to choose her next move. However his thoughts were stopped by a piercing yell of surprise, his heart freezing as cold as his Bankai as he recognised the owner of the shout.

**Matsumoto!** Hitsugaya thought with shock as he craned his neck towards the sky. More shouts of surprise joined amidst hers as he watched the limbs of the Espada capture each one of the Relief squad. **Damn it!** Hitsugaya thought as his leg muscles tensed, the wings of his Bankai spreading upwards as he prepared to leap into the sky. However, he suddenly felt a grip on his arm as Soi Fon grabbed him, arresting his movement, her eyes looking down at him condescendingly as she said-"What are you doing? If you join the fight now, you will lose your chance to defeat him." Hitsugaya tried to pull away from the grip as he shouted-"Release me; they are going to get killed if we don't stop him!"

However, Soi Fon suddenly moved in towards the boy, a hand reaching past the collar of ice as she grabbed his uniform, surprising Hitsugaya as she threw him to the ground. Before Hitsugaya could react, he felt her foot pressed on his chest, pressing him into the ground and stopping him from rising. With Hitsugaya immobilised, she coldly stated-"Calm down or your just going to be killed needlessly as well, you lose all element of surprise if you attack now, and you're the only person present with a useable Bankai in this situation, you need to wait for the chance to attack, don't throw the opportunity away that the Espada stupidly gave you when he didn't follow through." Hitsugaya glared angrily up at her as he went to pull on his reiatsu, to force the woman off of him, before his senses suddenly detected something, his eyes widening in surprise. Soi Fon noticed the look as she removed her foot from his chest, saying-"Seems like you finally noticed, that man is here as well."

No sooner did she say that than the air was filled with an eerie screech, a swathe of red reiatsu lancing towards the sky as it sliced through the limb's of the Espada, the small figures of captured shinigami falling from the sky as they were freed from his grasp. Hitsugaya pulled himself up from the earth again as he heard a voice echo on the air, it's usual sing song tone that he was used to hearing lost as the owner of the Urahara Store joined the fray. "Even though I detest that man, he can be useful it seems…"-Soi Fon stated as she watched the sky. Turning her head slightly to Hitsugaya, she suddenly asked-"How long will you need until you're ready?"

Hitsugaya breathed out slowly once more as he concentrated on his reiatsu, his power emanating about him as his ice flowed outwards, his eyes glowing blue as he coldly stated-"Five minutes." Soi Fon nodded curtly, before vanishing once again, leaving Hitsugaya alone in the clearing as he focused all of his reiatsu on his next task**. I just hope those two can hold them off that long.**

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Well, thats all folks! See ya all next chapter when I gain some more inspiration.

**(1) This is only a made up description of a Hado, one that I pulled out of the air, it doesn't actually exist. I haven't given it a number either, but you can speculate it has to be somewhere between at least 92 and 95, since reiatsu consumption from the spell is so massive and the estimated destruction is at an insane level compared to normal spells. I'm most likely gonna make it no. 92, while it looks vastly destructive, I want more room for improvements in the future, and the destructive level is representative of Yoshirou's skill with Kido being far more than the average Shinigami Captain.**


	31. Chapter 29

**Sorry for long hiatus, lots of work, emergency trip to hospital, weeks of recovery, even more rush to catch up work missed, suffice to say I have been busy.**

**Sorry, but it's nce again highly unlikely that this story is going to be updated frequently, its going to probably take a long time to find the time to do anything, as it is i'm on the verge of failing my year for lack of work already, so chances are I will find very little time to do this. SOrry f the quality has dropped once again, i'm having extreme troubles trying to get ideas down on paper, I think I am starting to lose my touch at story writing -.- oh well.**

**Thanks for all the people still reading and all new fans I have had since the last update, I hope I can continue to do your interest justice by continuing this story with better quality soon.**

**Well, read on!**

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Yoshirou fell towards the ground as he lessened his control on his reishi, landing softly still on his knees on the rock below him. **Why isn't my power working, just about everything I've tried to do isn't working, I can't release my Shikai and I can't use my Kido, what is going wrong with my body?**

_I don't understand what's going wrong at all, it's as if your reiatsu was eliminated at a point. When you fired that Raikohou, I could feel the spell already losing its power as it left your body, and now when you spent so long on that spell, the power disintegrated before you could use it. I don't think this is your bodies doing, there's no reason why your Kido would be harmed if that was the case._

**It doesn't matter if it's my body or not, at this rate I won't be able to fight! That Arrancar hasn't even released its Zanpakuto yet and I'm only just able to match it, what am I supposed to do if he decides to stop playing about and uses his full power!**

(P.O.V change)

Stark's eyes narrowed again as he watched the Shinigami kneeling in the dirt. He knew what was going on, Szayel had obviously cancelled out the Shinigami's abilities using his science, the Shinigami was unable to release its sword, use it's magic and could barely even sense his reiatsu. He had tested it during the fight, carefully raising his reiatsu while he wasn't attacking. If he had been capable of detecting it, the Shinigami should have moved to defend itself whenever his reiatsu peaked, but he didn't even notice the change.

**Szayel, I wanted to see if this man was truly strong like you claimed, so why did you hamper him so much!** Stark thought in annoyance, although he already knew the answer. Szayel was simply following orders, and that meant what he wanted was secondary. **Oh well, my orders were to either delay or kill him, while it's a pity that I wont get to see his full strength, with Szayel watching I can't just let him go…** Stark raised his sword into a stabbing pose as he entered Sonido, appearing behind the crouched Shinigami, Yoshirou's head turning in shock as he vainly tried to pull his Zanpakuto clear of its sheath in time. **Don't begrudge me, Shinigami…** Stark thought as he stabbed forward, sword aiming for the Kido Captains heart.

(P.O.V change)

There was a sudden explosion of force from behind the Shinigami's back as Urahara's eyes widened with shock, his expression surprised as his body started to seemingly lapse from the shock, already dropping even as the smoke started to clear from the solid missile of reiatsu that had smashed into his back. Further up, a loud bellowing laughter was coming from the lips of the 10th Espada as he watched Urahara slowly fall from the sky, his fist raised as it sparked with red reiatsu. "Want me to tell you? That attacks called Bala! You solidify your reiatsu and use it to clobber your enemy!"-Yammy explained in a smug shout as Urahara plummeted to the earth, already defeated. Yammy grinned as he pulled on more reiatsu, saying-"It isn't as powerful as a Cero, but it's twenty times faster!" With this, he pulled his fist back before punching forward with a load roar. Once again, a seeming bullet of reiatsu flew from his fist as it fell towards where Urahara had fallen, smashing into the ground with a massive plume of debris.

Yammy roared out his laughter uncontrollably as again and again he punched downwards, raining down blast after blast into the Shinigami down below, destroying the forest where Urahara had fallen. "How about that! Can you dodge these? No, you can't!"-Yammy roared as he continued his barrage, shouting out-"Die! Die! Die, you Geta-wearing (1) bastard!" Luppi just shook his head as he watched the spectacle from the tenth Espada, murmuring-"My, my, I was thinking about killing that guy since he got in my way earlier, stupid Yammy… still, either way he's dead now." As he finished this, Luppi smiled expectedly as he went to turn towards the prey he had already captured, however he was surprised when a female voice said-"One can only hope that idiot's dead, but he's too much of a roach for that to faze him." Luppi smiled slightly as he stayed still, unable to see the source of the voice, but sure that it no longer sounded like the busty woman he had captured earlier.

Turning his head slowly, he caught sight of a new person, the other shinigami he had captured watching this woman with surprise on their faces. Luppi cursed inwardly as he realised the woman was right behind him, one of the few places his tentacles couldn't reach too easily. His strange smile grew slightly as he appraised this new enemy, a rather petite woman wearing the same clothing of the Captain that he had killed earlier. "Oh? First it's a busty beauty, now a petite cutie? My my, a fun day this is turning out to be!"-Luppi said quietly as he ominously licked his lips, his eyes fixed on the Captains own. The woman seemed to be unperturbed though, as she stood perfectly poised with her arms crossed, looking at him with some kind of disdain.

Luppi watched her, expecting some kind of reaction, but soon became bored when the woman didn't talk or attack. Sighing Luppi said-"Not a chatty type then? At least say your name before I crush you." That seemed to get some kind of reaction, Soi Fon raising her eyebrow as she said-"A weakling like you? Crush me? Don't get full of yourself, Espada, I could have killed you already, but that would be a rather disappointing end." Luppi couldn't help but laugh at the Captains disdain, she was even worse that the other Captain, at least he had known some respect, this woman hadn't even taken the precaution to activate her Bankai before approaching his released form. Luppi turned fully to face her as she stood there, still not even attempting to attack.

"You know, even for a Captain your pretty stupid, lady, your trying to face me one on eight? Can you not see what happened when the last group tried facing me four on eight?"-Luppi asked, his tentacles flexing behind him for emphasis. Soi Fon merely shook her head, her eyes closing slightly as she stated-"You can't call me stupid when you can't count." Luppi froze for a second, unsure as to whether the woman was sincerely stupid, or just mocking him. However, his eyes opened with shock when he realised he could hear something very nearby moving, or more accurately, falling. Simultaneously, three of his tentacles suddenly burst apart, flying through the air away from him as they were seemingly neatly cut, his captives falling in surprise with the tentacles.

Luppi's eyes widened as he watched the Captain uncross her arms slowly. Hidden between the crossed arms, held in her right hand, was a short wakizashi zanpakuto, revealed as she flicked the blade downwards, an amount of white matter from his cut tentacles flying off the blade from the flicking motion. Soi Fon smirked as she watched his shocked expression, asking-"You didn't seriously think I had done nothing did you? I doubt you even saw me move." Luppi's smile turned into a grimace as he focused on the woman. Soi Fon raised an eyebrow at the Espada's expression, asking-"You really didn't notice? That means those arms aren't part of your actual body, I'll have to destroy that human façade to kill you then."

LLuppi hissed slightly as he watched his foe, before his expression softened again. After shaking his head slowly, he watched Soi Fon through half lidded eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips as he softly said-"Really, I think I'm being underestimated here, what chance do you think you have even in five on one?" Soi Fon's only response was to pull her zanpakuto into her side in a stabbing pose as she stated-"Enough talk, your words only bore me, Espada, lets finish this."

(P.O.V change)

The chamber howled with wind pressure as once again the Arrancar stopped the combined assault of the two Shinigami, both men held at bay by the monstrous strength in the Priveron Espada's arms as their feet dug into the earth, trying to avoid their deaths once again. The fight was already going badly, with the confined chamber, neither Shinigami could get the distance required to use a stronger Kido, and their foe was too obviously suited for close quarters fighting than they were, his two massive swords adequately forcing back their smaller katana blades every time they tried to get close to land a blow. Both men were breathing heavily already, lungs heaving as they tried to draw in what oxygen they could to power their tiring limbs. Although they hadn't taken any injuries from the Arrancar's blades, it was obvious who had the advantage in this situation. Even two against one, the arrogant shark like grin of the Priveron Espada hadn't slipped once, his confidence leaking out through his massive reiatsu.

**He's taking our Kido like it's nothing, it barely even slows him down!** Haneko thought between gasps, his eyes not daring to stray from their foe as the large man readied his twin blades again, grinning in confidence and not even bothering to take advantage of the break the twins desperately needed. "What, finished already worms?"-Baltasar shouted as he watched the two Shinigami finally manage to regain themselves, blades once again raised in a defensive position as the two Shinigami silently circled their foe in opposite directions, not even bothering to try and retort now as they took their foe seriously. In textbook style, the two Shinigami moved to opposite sides of the Arrancar, planning to try and catch him off guard with at least one of their attacks.

The plan had been to keep mostly on the defensive and try to figure out their foe's strength, but they both knew instantly when the blades first clashed that this was not a foe they could take their time with. His reiatsu was on a whole other level compared to theirs, so there was no way they could outlast him. The only advantage they had was that their foe was still taking them lightly, as long as they had that chance, they had to wait for the perfect opportunity before they used their full power. Both men knew if their foe got serious, their chances of survival would be slim, they had to kill him in one move, since once their foe figured out their full power, he would counter with everything he had unless they killed him first.

Haneko saw the almost imperceptible change in Tanshou's reiatsu, one of the numerous signals both men had learnt to signify their tactics to each other in silence. Nodding slightly as their foe's head turned slowly between the two shinigami, Haneko started to mutter his incantation. At the same time, Tanshou suddenly launched himself forward at amazing speed, the ground cracking slightly where he kicked off as he flew straight towards their foe. However the Arrancar wasn't taken by surprise, a strange noise echoing throughout the cavern as he vanished, Tanshou's initial strike missing him easily as his Sonido ended slightly to the left of where he was, his massive torso turning as he made to bring both blades down upon his foe. Tanshou managed to block the first blade with his own, nearly brought down to one knee with it's power as Baltasar barked out his laughter derisively, his second blade already swinging down towards his foe's open side.

With a loud crash, Tanshou finally managed to parry the first blade downwards, the massive sword edge digging a line out of the earth as he brought his sword into his side again, his eyes not even seeing the second blade as it descended towards his open flank, his eyes on the opening below Baltasar's left shoulder, his blade stabbing forward as if to spear the Arrancar's heart if he had one. However, as fast as his lunge was, Baltasar's blade was faster, already inches from Tanshou's side and seconds from splitting the Shinigami in half. However, he had made a mistake, once again only focusing on the foe before him as a thick golden chain suddenly wound around his arm, his blow halted as Haneko finished his incantation, shouting out-"Bakudo no. 63, Sajo Sabaku!"

"What!"-Baltasar shouted out in surprise as he realised his arm was restrained, his sword a heartbeat away from crushing the Shinigami below him, his other sword trapped in the earth as he had put too much power behind his initial swing, the blade stuck deeply into the ground. His face losng it's normal sneer and instead contorting with a grimace, he released his first blade as he dodged to the side. His superhuman speed was too fast for Tanshou's lancing blade, the blade stabbing forward only into the flapping white robes of the Arrancar as the massive body somehow nimbly avoided the blow. With a massive heave of his right arm, he felt rather than saw Haneko wrenched from where he was standing, his own strength not enough to restrain the Arrancar as he was pulled by the golden chain he had been holding to stop Baltasar from killing his brother.

His right sword arm freed, Baltasar stepped back nimbly as Tanshou's blade was ripped upwards, slicing out of his robes as he aimed for the Arrancar's torso, his sword meeting only air as the Espada dodged the blow. However, Tanshou's sword continued upwards, his mouth shouting out words as his blade's path continued straight past the Espada's body. At the same time, Haneko, who was being hurled through the air still by Baltasar's monstrous strength, released his grip on the chain that connected him to the Espada's arm. Before the Priveron Espada could even begin to try and figure out what the Shinigami below him was wildly swinging his blade away from his body for, the zanpakutou met the golden chain as Tanshou's intent became clear, his zanpakuto sparking with electricity as he intoned-"Hado no. 11, Tsuzuri Raiden!" In a flash, electricity arced along the chain and into the Arrancar's body, shocking him instantly and stopping his movement. In this frozen frame of time, Haneko instantly stopped his body in midair, his legs almost screaming in pain as he grimaced, stopping his headlong flight with pure force as he created a platform of Reishi that his feet crashed into. Ignoring the pain, he kicked off the platform, his blade pulled in tight as both twins moved simultaneously to take the opening they had created together.

However, they weren't fast enough. One eye opening tightly as the shock spread across his body, his free arm pulled inwards, glowing with his blood red reiatsu as he bellowed out-"Don't fuck with me!" Both Shinigami instantly realised they had lost their chance, as the Espada flung his arm outwards, a wall of seemingly pure reiatsu blasting both Shinigami away from him. Gritting their teeth slightly with frustration, both Shinigami shielded their bodies with their arms as they slowed their backwards momentum, landing lightly further away from where the Priveron Espada stood, panting slightly from the exertion of blasting out so much reiatsu. Straightening, both Shinigami stood beside each other as they appraised their foe once again. "Damn, he's the first foe to escape that combo so easily."-Tanshou muttered off hand as he once again tried to draw breath in. Haneko didn't spare any words, trying to focus on ignoring the stinging that threatened to numb his limbs from the mistreatment he had put them through, his shoulder muscles pulled from trying to stop the Espada's ridiculous strength and his legs injured from stopping that momentum in one impact.

In the middle of the chamber, the Espada breathed out deeply as he reached for the sword stuck in the ground, wrenching it from the earth with pure force as he faced his antagonists, his features twisted in anger. At least that was Haneko's guess on the emotion across his face, it was heard to tell since it wasn't perfectly human. However, their foe grinned fiercely suddenly as he roared out laughing. "Well, that's a surprise, the worms can actually do something other than die miserably!"-Baltasar said dangerously after his cacophony had died down, his eyes narrowing as he watched his foes. "Still, this isn't even going to be challenging, I suppose that's what happens when you fight shitty Shinigami, I had thought I would get to kill that puny looking Captain, but if this is all his subordinates can do, the Captain can't be anything decent anyway!"

There was silence in the chamber as the two sides faced each other, before it was suddenly punctuated with laughter. Surprisingly, this laughter came from not the ever derisive Espada, but from the two Shinigami. Both Shinigami found the Espada's words to be humorous, something that caught the Arrancar slightly off guard, who assumed his foes has just lost it in the face of his strength. As the laughter died down, Tanshou quietly stated-"If you really think that, then you're the greatest fool I have ever met. You? Fight our Taichou? I almost want him to be here to hear those words himself. Someone at your level wouldn't last longer than the first second of battle, your not even at the level to beat us, and you think you could challenge our Taichou? I think your head has gotten too swollen, you arrogant Arrancar."

"What was that, worm?"-Baltasar suddenly asked in a dangerous tones, his arms tensing in anger as he was easily riled by the Shinigami's words. Tanshou merely shook his head slightly as he replied-"It means I tire of holding back against you, I'm sure my brother is the same." Suddenly, Tanshou stood up, his poise perfect as he pulled his sword inwards, his reiatsu billowing a cold blue about him as he watched his foe, it was almost as if the reiatsu was so cold that the temperature in the chamber started to drop. Haneko could only shake his head in amusement as well as he watched his brother. "Actually, I would have been fine holding back a bit longer myself"-Haneko stated as his own reiatsu roared to life, the earth beneath his feet starting to glow red with his reiatsu as monstrous waves of heat seemed to flow out from him, his own sword held out before him as he said-"But I suppose I can end our play time a little bit earlier."

(P.O.V change)

Time seemed to freeze for Yoshirou as he saw the blade descend upon him. Yoshirou knew he couldn't bring his Zanpakuto to bear in time, and he wasn't ready to try and use Shunpo to dodge. He had stupidly been consumed by his thoughts as he was shocked by why his power refused to work, not expecting the seemingly reluctant Arrancar to attack. Yoshirou's thoughts fell into disarray, his body moving into reacting instinctively to the threat.

There was a strange noise as the sword impacted, Stark's eyes widening in surprise at what he saw before him. Spreading over Yoshirou's back was a large, orange barrier. Yoshirou had instinctively used his Kido to stop the attack, mentally summoning the Enkosen which stopped Stark's blade. Yoshirou's eyes widened in surprise from the result, the shield had worked, summoned just like it always was. However, the shield started to dissolve, Stark's sword cracking the shield while at the same time the mysterious weakening of the spell started again. However, the barrier had bought him enough time to dodge, his body moving into Shunpo as Stark's sword stabbed air.

**How come that worked?** Yoshirou thought with surprise as he stood up, Taiyou lending him some of her own reiatsu to replace what he had lost from the massive spell he had lost control of.

_It seems that whatever is weakening your Kido takes time to come into effect. While the time is short, it's not short enough for your mental casting to not work._

Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he considered the information, watching Stark as he straightened his pose, having failed to kill him. Stark suddenly asked-"What was that? Your magic earlier didn't work, but that one stopped my blade…" Yoshirou smirked as he wiped some of the sweat from his face off, replying-"Why should I tell you?" Stark sighed at the reply, before watching him steadily. "So, you're still able to fight then? I'm glad I didn't kill you right off then."-Stark stated, Yoshirou surprised by the words. **Why is he so eager to see what I can do?** Yoshirou wondered as he took his stance, sheathing his Zanpakuto once again as he focused upon his foe, rechanneling all of his combat reiatsu into reserve as he pulled into the flow of his full strength, his reiatsu changing about him as it channelled over his body in a flowing motion rather than blasting about him ferociously, although not losing any of it's strength.

Stark raised an eyebrow, before vanishing once again. Appearing right before Yoshirou, he stabbed his zanpakuto straight for him. Yoshirou mentally summoned a small Enkosen shield about his right arm, the blade grating off the shield as the zanpakuto was deflected downwards. Stark's eyes widened in surprise as Yoshirou pulled back his other fist, mentally summoning the Tsuzuri Raiden spell as he channelled the magic around his left arm, lightning flashing along his arm as he punched towards the Espada. Stark raised his own arm to block it, grimacing slightly as he felt the electrical discharge play over his own body. "So, your not just a sword style fighter then"-Stark noted, his eyes locked with Yoshirou's as he brought his zanpakuto up. Swaying out of the way of the blade, Yoshirou ducked in low as he went under the swung arm, funnelling a spell into his arms as he pressed both arms to the Espada's chest, blue fire erupting from his palm's as he blew the Espada back with force.

"Sorry, I'm not the 11th Squad Captain, who only uses brute force, Espada."-Yoshirou stated as Stark twisted in the air, dispelling the impact from the spells as he flew backwards. Yoshirou stepped forward as he narrowed his eyes, saying-"I told you before we started, I am the Kido Corps Captain, the first in Soul Society's history, don't think you will know everything just in one go, Stark!" Stark frowned as he landed, his feet lightly touching the ground once more as he stood before Yoshirou, his robes now burned from where his spell had made contact. Stark shook his head slightly as he muttered-"Good grief, your faster now you've sheathed your sword, and your attacks have strange effects tagged on too, my clothes are going to get ruined if this keeps up for much longer…."

Yoshirou grinned slightly as he literally sensed the tide of the battle change. Taking his stance once again, he said-"Sorry, but your clothes being ruined are probably the least of your problems." As his reiatsu once again exploded into life about him, his arms channelling various different elemental forces as he prepared his spells mentally, Starks eyes narrowed slightly as he muttered-"Maybe so, only one way to find out." Simultaneously, both men vanished as the battle commenced once again, the entire cavern shaking with force as the destruction increased once more between the two combatants.

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**There we have it, chapter over.**

**Now, the thing is I have a lot of work already done for this story, about 7000 words backed up, but there are key connecting areas that I am struggling immensely with, namely the 3rd Seat battle and what everybody else is doing. If people want, I can skim over it instead of covering it completely, which will probably speed up the updates massivly, but I don't know what kind of depth people want in this storyline. I'm already dropping the idea of another fight for Kira and an Arrancar, I sumply don't have the mental capacity to write four battles at the same time, i'm going to screw it up. If people don't mind, I might skip over the 3rd Seat battle as well, thats the one that is making things difficult for me. I already have completed Stark vs Yoshirou and nearly completed Soi Fon vs Luppi, but its the Haneko/Tanshou vs Baltasar fight i'm having trouble with, since I have no other charecter to work off, it's causing massive jams in my ability to write it up. If you guys want to read this battle, i'll work on it, but it means longer updates again, it's all up to you guys, just put your opinion down in a message or a review if you want it heard.**

**As always, love to hear from you guys, if you have constructive criticism, please say it, anything which will improve my work will be helpful, thankyou for all people who are still loyal fans, see you all on the next update.**


	32. Chapter 30

**Okay for those who read these blurbs (I really never know if the majority of people do or don't lol), quite a bit to say before you begin today.**

**First off, no more chapters until after christmas hols, I have very little time for breaks, so i'm going to use this time to it's fullest, so sorry, not going to be working on my story till some time after the 10th of January.**

**Second up, this is going to sound weird so bear with me, the end of the Yoshirou/Stark fight was written weeks ago, however after a recent review, I thought I would extend the kido using match to include one extra bit of Yoshirou vs Stark. However, this also makes some continuality problems, since this was written nearly a month after I had finished the real piece, so if theres any mistakes, sorry. Basicly, for those who wish to know, I will throw in a page split at the moment that my first and revised endings begin, so you can understand why the story suddenly changes part way. Everything up to the split was written over the last few days, everything after was written over quite a few weeks ago.**

**Finally, the last section may sound a bit odd and not make a whole lot of sense, so sorry if that is the case, please bear with me on this one. I also ended the Soi Fon bit without including Hitsugaya's whole speech, you guys know it already, just go watch the anime if you want to see the scene.**

**With all that over, let the chapter begin!**

**UPDATE:Oh dang I forgot, welcome to Applez2ya, and thanks for the handy review, quedwrsf, it was your review that inspired me to do a little more of the Kido fighting, sorry if the fight with Soi Fon was a bit short XP did my best.**

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There was nothing but a calm wind echoing throughout the cavern as it's inhabitants battle paused momentarily, the air filled with a seeming smog created from the rocks and gravel that had been crushed into fine particles from the raging conflict between Shinigami and Arrancar, the dust following the wind that flowed in from the gash in the caverns roof. As the dust finally had a chance to settle, the cavern was revealed to site. No longer could it be called a cavern, it looked like a warzone, it was harder to find an undamaged section than it was to find a crater or a burn mark or a gauged out line where sword missed it's target. Within this innumerable amount of destruction, two combatants could be seen once again, one standing, one down. The Arrancar stood proud and tall, his blade held down by his side almost casually as it kept its ice cool glare on his opponent. In comparison, his foe was kneeling weakly, his blade impaled within the ground as its master's weight leaned upon the hilt, trying to stop the Shinigami from falling to the earth, his breath loud as he tried to gulp down the oxygen he needed to keep his muscles from failing.

From a first glance, the battle looked decided, the Captain exhausted to the point of falling, his opponent staring down at his foe with his stone like expression, no emotions playing across his features as he watched the panting Shinigami. However, the Shinigami wasn't the only exhausted fighter, although he stood tall, the Espada's lungs also were drawing rapid breaths of air into it's body, although his body looked fine, it was only the effect of the iron armour from his Hierro. He felt just as badly battered as his foe, only he was wearing it better. Also, despite the fact that his opponent was down, his hair falling forward as his face pointed to the ground he was desperately avoiding from hitting, the Espada made no attempt to take advantage of the blaring opening, keeping his distance from the defenceless Shinigami.

"Shinigami-san, your not impressing me with the acting, I'm not going to conveniently lower my guard and let you kill me, get up."-Stark stated in a normal tone, his eyes watching the defeated foe before him, his gloved hand raised in the pose to use a Cero, waiting calmly for his foe to acknowledge the game was up. The heavy panting of the Shinigami froze, the Shinigami seemingly caught by surprise, before Stark could hear a slight chuckle. As the chuckling finished, he heard his opponents breath return to a normal level, the fake exhaustion gone as the head swung up to look at him, a strange fierce grin on his face despite the trail of blood that ran down to his chin from the corner of his mouth, the Shinigami's eyes still lit with enthusiastic fire. "Didn't think you would either, but it was worth a try, right?"-Yoshirou asked as he picked himself up from the earth, pulling the Zanpakuto from the ground with a fluent movement that didn't match with the exhaustion he had been showing earlier.

Stark lowered his arm once more as he drew the hand with his sword across his mouth, his now bare right hand wiping his own mouth as he removed the blood that threatened to dribble down his own face. He had been forced to work hard just to keep his left arm from following the fate of his right, the glove incinerated and sleeve burned off nearly up to his shoulder, his arm slightly burnt from where the Kido had managed to burn his Hierro. He knew above all else he couldn't afford his left glove to be burned off as well, revealing his insignia on his left hand, and that tactic alone had forced him to take more damage than he had wanted, his opponent using the opening afforded by the left side of his body to his advantage. His robes were a mess, the opponents Kido might not have been enough to severely hurt him, but it sure made a mess of whatever it came into contact with.

He had also been surprised by his opponents unarmed combat skill, he estimated that he had broken a rib within his own body. He was glad he didn't have any significant organs that could be injured by the damage, but his opponents fists weren't something to be underestimated. **With his sword he can cut straight through my Hierro, with his Kido he makes himself almost impossible to counter, and with his fists he can almost break through my Hierro with pure force, I can see why I was warned to not let my guard down now, he really is strong. **He was also annoyed by how tough his foe was, he even was willing to be impaled just to land one of his attacks, Stark's sword barely diverted to a none critical area as it stabbed into the Shinigami's body before he countered with all his might, hence Stark's broken rib. He was fighting an opponent on immeasurable strength, a reaction time almost on par with his own, and one that didn't bleed either, he knew his foe should have been weakened after receiving that sword stroke, but the hole in his foe's stomach didn't even bleed, his black robes barely showing any sign of what should have been pouring blood across his body.

**So he has the upper hand in distance with his more easily useable Kido, and in close range he beats me in strength, and he can take injuries without losing battle strength, he might even fit the term monster if it was possible to apply to a Shinigami **Stark thought as he watched his foe before him, the Shinigami grinning slightly as he took his stance, his reiatsu already leaking out from his body as he prepared his abilities for use, the Reiatsu seemingly flowing around his body like water, something Stark had never witnessed before. Reiatsu was always about strength, the more furious, the more powerful, yet here his foe's Reiatsu was almost controlled purely by his will, much more fluent, and most definitely not gauged by intensity. He had no doubt despite how little the reiatsu raged, if he took a direct hit by that force, he would definitely feel it. Even as he watched, his foe's sword suddenly blazed with fire as blue flames erupted along the blade length, the sword being drawn back as the Shinigami prepared to attack once more.

**Another kind of spell?** Stark's thought as his eyes narrowed as his reiatsu exploded into life once more, preparing once more to fight as the ground around him groaned, the rocks breaking apart once again**. He's certainly got variance, using a different skill each time to keep me guessing, but if he keeps this up, even if he injures me worse, he's going to run out first. It's a race, will I be able to endure his blows before he runs out? Will I defeat him, or will he defeat me?** He almost felt like sighing, while he hadn't been that interested in fighting the Shinigami at first, he almost didn't want this battle to end, he knew he was simply buying time, and he had no care about victory or defeat, but for some reason, he didn't want this battle to end soon. While he didn't understand this emotion, he had a feeling that his foe may even be the same; there was no other reason as to why his foe could be grinning despite the situation unless he felt the same.

The sword swung forward, an arc of fire racing across the gap between the two, roaring with intensity as it flew for him. Stark decided instantly, jumping upwards as he took to the air, avoiding the crescent of fire that flew beneath his feet rather than blocking it. He doubted the attack was one he could block, fire is fire after all, if he tried to use his blade, the fire would flow about it. Or it could have been an attack, that's the thing; I can't risk finding it out Stark thought as he looked forward. He was surprised by what he saw, a large purple petal suddenly floating before his face, obscuring his forward view. Quicker than thought, his sword lanced out, slicing the petal that obscured his view of his foe, his senses already spreading outwards from him as he tried to detect his foes reiatsu rather than see him. He sensed his foe to his left, his gloved hand raising in that direction as he heard his foe's shunpo end, his reiatsu already channelled into his hand as he quietly uttered-"Cero"

He heard a gasp of surprise as he turned his head, the Captain throwing himself aside as the Cero lanced towards him, his speed just fast enough to avoid the roiling beam of blue reiatsu. Stark went to move into Sonido, to take advantage of the opening he had seen with his superior speed, but he suddenly saw another large petal float before him, followed swiftly by more. Stark's eyes narrowed as once again he slashed outwards, cutting through the petals as he tried to get a view of the Shinigami as he recovered from his dodge, his fingertips already pointing at Stark as blue lightning played across the tips. Another spell! Stark thought as he stepped into Sonido, just as the fingertips released their spell, thin beams of lightning shooting forward to impale Stark's body. Stark was faster, leaving behind the petals and beams of lightning as his Sonido ended, his body floating far above Yoshirou's own as his arm was once again pointed at the Shinigami, another Cero prepared to fire downwards at his foe.

I still can't see clearly Stark thought as more and more purple petals danced across his vision as he tried to focus upon the Shinigami below, furious energy boiling downwards towards his foe as he uttered-"Cero" Is he filling the cavern with them? Stark wondered as his foe vanished within the explosion of blue, the ground cracking as the Cero exploded into the earth, creating yet another massive crater. Stark quickly slashed outwards with his sword as he cut through the petals before him, before jumping with surprise as he saw only a meter away from him his foe flying straight for him, his sword pulled in tight to stab forward as he charged. When did he-! Stark thought as he mentally cursed the petals obscuring his view, bringing his own sword to bear as he threw his body sideways with a push of reiatsu, avoiding the stabbing motion of his foe's sword. I can't track his movement with all these petals in the way! Stark realised as he stabbed his own sword forward.

Just before it pierced his enemy, an orange square of reiatsu appeared between Shinigami and Arrancar, stopping the stabbing sword. Stark poured more force into his attack as the shield cracked instantly, his sword barely slowed as it lanced through the shield. But barely slowed was enough for his enemy, Yoshirou's zanpakuto cutting downwards onto the blade as he fluently moved the rest of his body above the stabbing sword, using the sword literally as a platform to base his own movements on as a foot lanced out towards Stark's face. Stark closed his eyes as he relied on his senses, his gloved hand moving to block the kick, his arm barely able to stop the momentum of the kick as he blocked the attack. Now that he relied on his senses, he could feel a concentration of reiatsu far close to his body, almost touching him stomach as he realised his opponent had passed his guard, what could only be a hand channelling a powerful Kido now nearly touching his body.

Frustrated as he realised his opponents leg had already moved, literally grabbing his arm as Yoshirou locked his foe in place to stop his avoiding the spell, Stark was forced to drop his sword. Opening his eyes and staring into Yoshirou's own, nearly hidden behind the storm of petal, he quickly brought his freed glove hand forward, blocking Yoshirou's open palm as he uttered once more-"Cero" He could see his foe's eyes widen in surprise as he realised just where his fist was about to impact Stark's body was a massive concentration of blue reiatsu. Yoshirou was too slow, his attempt to completely pin Stark from avoiding his most powerful mental cast attack backfiring as now he was locked in place. Stark watched as Yoshirou was engulfed in a tornado of blue reiatsu, feeling the leg on his arm weaken and release instantly as Yoshirou was hurled away by the force of the Cero smashing into his body.

(P.O.V change)

**What is going on?** Szayel wondered as his fingers danced across the interface with lightning speed. He had underestimated the Shinigami Captain, he had expected the Captain to be forced to release his Bankai after he had eliminated his ability to use the Shinigami magic, but instead the Shinigami had summoned his magic instantaneously. It was the only way to explain the situation, somehow the Shinigami had an ability to materialise his magic straight from his own pure reiatsu without any channelling or processing. **This would at first appear almost like our abilities, channelling raw reiatsu into attacks through the use of the Cero or the Bala…** Szayel thought as he stopped typing, his thumb placed near his mouth as he chewed on the nail to try and channel his concentration, his eyes staring at the screen as the battle calmed once again **…but that doesn't explain how he can materialise the spells at all! The principle of the Cero is marshalling pure reiatsu into extreme attack force, the most simple and brutal of abilities that bypasses all need to concentrate or chant like a Shinigami can, the ultimate counter to the Shinigami Kido in a manner of speaking…**

Szayels features clenched tightly as he bit down on his nail, the nail cracking with the force, his thumb bleeding slightly as the nail bit into flesh. Ignoring this he continued his thoughts **…but this is something else! The pattern for the reiatsu manipulation is barely existent! While normally a Kido is created through forming and channelling reiatsu into an ability, binding it with chants in order to literally identify the nature of the spell, it's almost as if he bypasses this stage and releases the end result! It's impossible!**

Szayel had already pulled up every record he could, even going into the archives of stolen research and theoretical practices that he had found Aizen had left in the system. While previously he would have theorized why Aizen had such research and why he had been able to gain access to the files with only a minimal amount of hacking, his mind was afire with answering the problem before him. **It's impossible! Everything works by three steps, a notion to begin, a process to complete, and the end result! Even the Cero requires these three steps, the notion to fire, the channelling of the reiatsu and the firing of the Cero! However this skill literally removes the middle process, he considers using the Kido, and the Kido is fired, that's the only way his ability could work! But that defies all processes within this world, you can't simply do something without a process at all!**

Szayel slammed his fist down into the console, the computer groaning beneath his fist as it shook from the impact. Hearing that noise calmed his thoughts, the fact that if he broke the console, he would lose his ability to investigate the problem before him calmed his thoughts. Sighing, he took both of his hands and lightly pressed his fingers to his temples as he thought.

**Okay, it's completely idiotic to say this ability has no middle step; first off think of the results, there is a loss of reiatsu after the spell is used. That means he must first have an amount of reiatsu to use, second, every Kido that he casts has an individual aspect, some of them are fire, some of them are electrical, some bind, some attack. Some are cast by finger tip, others by palm, and others by fist. That means there must be a process where he identifies the spell, and gives it its properties before he casts. He also must take a particular pose…..no that is theoretically he needs a pose, or possibly a preference to use a pose, I cannot say for sure he needs a pose, so I assume there is no need for a pose except personal preference.**

Szayel sighed as he leaned back, his eyes closed as he closed his senses to the world. **So that means there is indeed a middle step, I was being stupid to assume there wasn't, the problem is that the middle step is not shown, or is so fast it cannot be comprehended. That means either it is done at a speed that matches the speed of light, or it is done by a mental ability and not at all affected by his reiatsu. Most likely the second theory is correct since if he could so it at the speed of light, he would have defeated Stark-san in pure speed already.**

Szayel smiled as he solved the problem, sitting forward. **If the ability is mental, I will have to forget stoppng it. I can nullify it once it appears, but that would be useless, I cannot affect the mental process that casts the spell, but this presents a problem. At this rate, it may well be possible that Stark-san is defeated before the Bankai is used. I don't believe I am admitting this to myself, but it looks like Stark is now the one in trouble, he will have to either release his sword first to force the Shinigami to use Bankai, or convince his foe through words that he should release his Bankai. It's all down to which is greater, Starks release, or the Captains Bankai? Either way, this will be amazing research material.**

A sudden beep from the nearby console alerted him to something unexpected. Standing from his seat, he moved over as he pressed the lit button. "Szayel, have you finished your task?"-a quiet voice asked from another location, even with it's monotonous tone, sounding cold to Szayel's ears. Szayel tutted quietly as he said-"Which task would you mean by that, Ulquiorra-san?" There was no reply across the console, Ulquiorra not caring to play with his word games as he instead stated-"The opportunity has arrived as Aizen-sama planned, I am making my move now so you will not have much longer to contain your target, do not fail." Before Szayel could even consider a witty retort for the silent Arrancar, the radio feed cut off as Ulquiorra ended the conversation. Sighing, Szayel returned to his seat as he thought **Punctual as usual, but we are running out of time, my objective was only to keep the Captain isolated from Soul Society, but it would be a definite bonus if I can observe his Bankai.**

(P.O.V change)

The Arrancar hissed with frustration as once more it's multiple limbs swung forward. However, his target every time easily avoided the blows, vanishing in an instant before closing the gap slightly more as he attacked. To Soi Fon, the attacks were a bit faster than she had anticipated, the limbs flying at her from all angles to try and stop her attack. However, they were never fast enough, every time she avoided them, inch by inch she got closer to her foe. Just like she thought, the pompous attitude of the Arrancar also carried over into his fighting style, believing himself undefeatable, he didn't even try to keep his distance, standing still with an angry grimace on his face as he tried to smash her like a bug. **Kind of feel like a bug with the way he keeps trying to swat me…** Soi Fon thought sarcastically off hand as she ducked down, another massive limb flying over her head with incredible force, causing the air to whip her braids behind her back. **All power, no thought** Soi Fon noticed as a second limb flew right at her from underneath, as if to smash her between the anvil over her head and the hammer coming from below.

Once again, she vanished as the two limbs impacted on one another, reappearing even closer to her target. She was slightly surprised to see the sheen of sweat on the Espada's face. "Don't tell me this is tiring you out, Arrancar?"-Soi Fon asked mockingly as she leapt upwards, narrowly avoiding another limb that had angled about to strike her down from above. All she got out of the Arrancar was a sneer as his facial features twisted again, his reply filled with venom as he said-"Don't worry, you'll be smashed into pieces soon Taichou-san" Soi Fon focused on the strange backpack piece that she could see on his back, she had already avoided three strikes so he had only two more useable arms, her opening would come after his next two attacks. She had noticed that he always seemed to attack one after the other with his arms, in a rather amateurish style.

As long as she remembered where each limb was, it was rather easy to guess where the next attack was coming from. His attacks had a lot of power behind them, but it was nothing as long as he kept on missing so easily. **Oh?** Soi Fon thought for a second as she looked to her right, where she predicted the next attack would come from. It wasn't that she was wrong, but this time the limb had a rather impressive set of spikes coming from the tip. Like that will help him at all Soi Fon thought as she vanished again, the spiked club missing her by a wide margin as she focused on the sword in her arm, quietly murmuring_-"Jinteki Shakusetsu, Suzumebachi!" _**I need to finish this now; I don't have time to waste toying with this weak fool **Soi Fon thought as she felt the familiar metal cling to her forearm, the stinger linked by a delicate chain to the gauntlet as it covered her middle finger. As she thought this, she saw the arrancar grin as it watched her. He's even showing on his face when he's going to attack, how was Hitsugaya defeated by such an Arrancar? Soi Fon wondered as she felt the wind displace behind her, a massive limb reversing as the Arrancar tried to attack her from behind with his last move.

Probably tried blocking the attack rather than avoiding Soi Fon thought one last time before concentrating. With a quick Shunpo, she vanished from her foe's sight instantly. Luppi's eyes widened with surprise as he swung his head, trying to locate his enemy. "Where did you run to, Taichou-san!"-Luppi shouted out, unable to hide his anxiety as he tried to find her again. He didn't anticipate a foe who could so easily avoid his attacks, and so didn't know what she would do next. However, he suddenly saw a blur as a small figure suddenly appeared before him, arm lancing forward to stab him. "Shit!"-Luppi exclaimed in surprise before he felt a burning pain in the centre of his torso.

Soi Fon drew her arm back once again as she pulled the stinger out of her foe's torso, a tattoo of the Houmonka already spreading from the point of contact as she pulled her arm back for the second blow, a slight smirk on her face as she moved to end his life.

_Nigekki Kesatsu!_

However, before her arm could finish the stabbing motion, her eyes widened as she felt the air pressure from her right side, a shadow suddenly covering both herself and the Espada as he suddenly started laughing loudly. She realised she wasn't going to be fast enough, the limb was already a heartbeat away from smashing into her side. It took all of her leg strength to catapult herself to the left just as the limb smashed into her ribs. Her rapid dodge lessened the full impact of the attack, but she hadn't been able to pull her arm in to block it in time, she was sent hurtling through the air like a thrown pebble as the Espada literally cackled with joy.

Soi Fon was only stunned for a second though, as she managed to regain her senses, she flipped in mid air as her feet started to pull the air in the Reishi to her, her small body skidding on the air as she tried to stop her move. She realised instantly why her attack had failed, she had cut off three of his limbs before the fight, so he should only have five left to attack with. She didn't guess that he could simply grow the limbs again; she hadn't even seen the additional limbs reappear before her last attack, he had regenerated them at incredible speed to stop her attack. She restrained her instinct to hold the injured area which screamed with pain from taking the blow full force, instead forcing herself to stand straight as her foe continued to laugh loudly. Below her, she heard cries from the other shinigami, shouting up to her with concern.

"How did you like that, Taichou-san? I hope it didn't hurt too much little lady!"-Luppi mocked as he held his head up in contempt of her, laughing again at her. Soi Fon smirked again at his arrogant attitude, so different than it had been only moments ago. "No need to sound so concerned Arrancar, after all, you've taken the first hit already."-Soi Fon replied, causing the Arrancar's laughing to stop instantly. Soi Fon brought her arm up before her face as she stated-"Nigeki Kessatsu." Luppi's eyes narrowed as he quietly translated-"Death in two steps?" His eyes widened as he looked down at his torso, seeing the stamp on his body there. Soi Fon didn't even bother acknowledging him as she said-"All I have to do is strike you on the same spot again, and you are dead. You caught me by surprise, suddenly re-growing a limb like that, but it's nothing big, you still aren't fast enough to hit me, so you're going to die the second time I get near you. Curse your luck for being so slow, you will never be able to avoid my attack."

Luppi at first froze, but it didn't last long as a slow smile suddenly creped across his face, one that was crueler than any other he had so far. Slowly licking a lip, he replied-"So, you're fast enough to avoid five, but what can you do against eight all at once?" As he said this, the remaining two limbs that she had cut off suddenly sprouted from his backpack again with a loud retching noise, quivering as they extended outwards from him. As he continued smiling, all of the limbs, one by one, started to sprout spikes all across it's length, turning each and every one of them into a death trap. Soi Fon narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched them. Now she was feeling a little less confident, if he was to attack with all those limbs at once, it would be like running through a minefield with all of those spiked randomly covering them, any attempt to avoid one would run her into another. Luppi didn't miss this slight change in attitude as he started laughing cruelly again, his limbs thrashing about as he shouted-"I'm going to fill your little body full of holes!"

However, his laughter died on his lips as half of his limbs stopped thrashing. Looking down in confusion, Luppi suddenly realised that they were completely covered in ice, the ice glowing as it reflected the light rays in a dazzling display.

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou staggered slightly as he faced his opponent once again. His body was sore all over now, his clothes reduced to a charred mess of their former glory, even his Haori was now a mess, all of the edges burnt badly, although since it was across his back, it had survived better than his robes had. Blinking slightly as he felt liquid above his eyes, he quickly wiped his arm over his face, annoyed y the amount of blood he saw come away as he looked at his arm after doing so. "That was a dirty trick, dropping your sword so you could Cero me point blank."-Yoshirou said to the opponent standing further away. Stark shrugged nonchalantly as he replied-"How is it dirty? You're the one who assumed I wouldn't drop my sword if I needed to, you can't blame me for your mistake. If we are going to act like that, then aren't you dirty for using an illusion on me while fighting?" Yoshirou didn't reply as he realised the Arrancar was right, he had tried using Hakufaku while taking him on at close range. He knew it would never have knocked the Espada out, but it had worked slightly. However, he doubted it would work again, Stark was now keeping his reiatsu high constantly, he had been able to activate it only because Stark's reiatsu had fallen lower after the last clash.

Yoshirou drew in another deep breath as he tried to concentrate. The problem was that even if he had the ability to use Kido, he wasn't able to cause much damage since his foe was able to not only avoid his attacks with superior speed, but had such a powerful Cero that none of his mentally cast spells could stop it, he had barely been able to reduce the damage from the last one, and he still felt pretty badly burnt, it was probably thanks to Taiyou again that he could still withstand the pain and keep moving. Yoshirou sighed as he tried to gauge how much reiatsu he had left. He would have normally been able to go a bit further, but the supply from Taiyou wasn't working so well since he couldn't release her Shikai. **I think I still have enough to keep going, he's starting to weaken now, I just need to keep up the assault and I will be able to beat him** Yoshirou thought finally as he faced his foe. Across the way, Stark stuck his blade in the ground as he raised an arm to his left shoulder and tried to massage the muscle there. Watching Yoshirou, he asked-"Aren't you going to attack?" Yoshirou smirked as he staid still, waiting for his foe to finish. Stark raised an eyebrow, before sighing suddenly. "Like I thought, this battle isn't going anywhere; neither of us are really in this fight, are we?"

Yoshirou furrowed his brow in surprise as he asked-"What do you mean?" Stark ignored the question until he finished working the tension from his shoulder before pulling his blade free from the earth. With his blade in hand, Stark quietly stated-"Neither of us are in this fight, I can't feel any real killing intent from your sword, your not focusing on killing me at all, are you even aiming to kill me? Are you only interested in beating me or destroying me? If your intent was to win, to kill me quickly, to destroy your enemy and proceed, you would have attacked after I dropped my sword, killed me while I was open. In the same way, I've not been ordered to kill you, and I find myself a bit reluctant to in any case, I tried killing you earlier when I thought it was all over for you, but while you still have the will to fight, I'm not really that interested in killing you to be honest, we are at an impasse."

"You desire to beat me, but not destroy me, while I desire to see your power, only that. This feels like you're not going to show me your best at all, perhaps I should clear things up for you." Yoshirou's eyes widened slightly as Stark clicked his fingers. Suddenly, the air seemed to rip beside him, showing another area, filled with light. In the image, a man in black robes was flung through the air, sent hurtling past building after building as another man moved within the image, his knee poised to smash into his foe's body. Yoshirou's eyes widened as he recognised the shock of blue hair on the man in white's head, showing the 6th Espada, Grimmjow. As the two men collided, the man in black grunting in pain as he was accelerated faster still from the impact, his head flung forward by momentum as he flew backwards.

**Orange hair, it can't be!** Yoshirou thought in shock as he recognised the image. This scene showed Kurosaki Ichigo fighting the Espada Grimmjow, and losing badly. Stark sighed as he clicked his fingers again, the portal closing beside him as he watched Yoshirou's shocked expression. Scratching his head slightly, he stated-"Yeah, a dirty tactic to show you this, and the image is actually a bit old now, but that's what's going on outside while your fighting me in here, your not the only one fighting right now." Yoshirou was frozen with shock as he watched the Espada slowly sheath his sword, the Espada's cool gaze watching his reaction.

…**I was stupid, of course this had to be what's happening! I knew this whole thing was a trap, but it was stupid to presume that was all that was happening! Everybody else is fighting as well, I just couldn't tell because this damn cavern is blocking my sensing ability! I was stupid, as soon as I realised this place was blocking my senses I should have escaped through the roof and fought him outside!** Yoshirou grimaced as he pulled his sword before him, Stark's expression shifting slightly as he saw the change in stance. Quietly, almost expectantly, he asked-"What are you going to do now then?"

Yoshirou's head hung low for a few seconds, lost in thought before suddenly swinging up as he slowly sheathed his zanpakuto.

* * *

(original ending before work was revised lol)

His eyes suddenly snapped open, fixating upon Stark as he muttered quietly-"I'll have to use it, I planned this to use against Aizen, but if it defeats him, it's not like Aizen will learn of it." Yoshirou breathed out slowly as he mentally thought **Taiyou, can you handle the control for the spells?**

_It will be difficult while I'm still sealed, but I'll do the best I can._

**Thanks Yoshirou** thought as he summoned his remaining reiatsu, pulling as much power as he could inwards. **This is only going to work once, he wont fall for it a second time, it's now or never. **Yoshirou looked up at Stark, his eyes blazing golden as he said-"Stark, like you said, I didn't really feel like killing you, I would have been fine with besting you and continuing, it's rare I get to fight an individual like yourself, for an Arrancar I don't think your inherently evil, and your certainly strong enough to rival me, so I'm going to give you one last chance. Leave, take that girl and leave, if you do that, I can let you go, but if you're still going to stand in my way, I'm going to use everything I have to destroy you, here and now!"

Stark breathed out slowly, shaking his head as he replied-"While I'd love to take you up on your offer, my orders still stand, I will not let you leave…Also…" Yoshirou jumped slightly in surprise as he watched the Espada's normally straight face suddenly smile slightly, the Espada's reiatsu exploding in force all about him. "…I want to see how strong you really are, Yoshirou Kenshin."

Yoshirou shook his head slightly, eyes closing as he focused. He then said-"Here I come!" vanishing instantly. Stark focused all of his attention to finding Yoshirou's location. However, he almost missed him as Yoshirou suddenly appeared right in front of him, his speed suddenly upped since he had channelled every last vestige of his power into his upcoming technique, arm's raised to use some kind of spell. Stark struck out with his zanpakuto, cutting through Yoshirou in one swift motion, however his sword felt no resistance. "It's over now…"-Yoshirou muttered behind him, Starks eyes widening in surprise as he spun on the spot, trying to bring his sword to bear in time. To his eyes, he could see Yoshirou standing behind him, both arms raised towards his foe, each arm glowing slightly with force, two different colours for two different spells, both spells focused on his finger tips. Stark turned to attack him, but suddenly felt his sword arm wrenched behind his back with some kind of force, the spell pulling his hand back.

**What the…** Stark thought as he pulled with his sword arm. **The binding is really weak, what could he be doing… **Stark pulled his sword arm properly, the spell losing strength as he easily overpowered it. However, no sooner than he had done so, he realised that the reiatsu focused around his arm had changed, now suddenly some kind of rope slithering other his robes as it pulled on his arm, looping around his other arm in an instant and restraining his movement. Stark narrowed his eyes as he turned his head back to Yoshirou, noticing that Yoshirou's arm movements had changed, rather than blue reiatsu condensed at his fingertip on his right arm, his arm was now glowing with lightning sparks across the entire forearm.

**That's the spell he used earlier!** Stark realised as he watched Yoshirou's arms move once again, Yoshirou's left arm's fingertips tracing a pattern in the air as his right hand flattened out, his palm facing Stark, the lightning gone as a red ball of energy focused in his hands. Stark suddenly felt the rope disappear from his body, before feeling his entire body paralysed, a red glow emanating from his body. **What is this!** He thought as he struggled against the strange paralysis, feeling the spell's strength weakening against his own reiatsu. Once again, Yoshirou's arms moved, his left fingertip pointed at Stark as a yellow triangle of light formed about his arm. Stark felt his body become free as the red glow evaporated, drawn towards the triangle. However, before he could move, the three points of the triangle fired out, pinning each of his arms and his feet together in mind air, Yoshirou's right arm still flattened, but now a blue fire coalescing on his palm.

**And that's the spell he used to push me away!** Stark realised as it suddenly sunk in what was happening. **He's constantly casting spells of increasing power!**

(P.O.V change)

"Damn it…"-Szayel muttered as his features were drawn tight with concentration, his hands moving at amazing speed as he tried to compute the counter for the Shinigami's technique. However, every time he felt he was getting near to inversing the frequency required, it seemed the techniques the Captain used changed on a fundamental level, making each attempt he made to nullify it pointless. His eyes narrowed as he watched Stark's attempts to break free of whatever binding spells were being used. Every time he was on the verge of disassembling the spell, the fundamental reiatsu behind the technique literally warped as the Shinigami manipulated the spell, adding more power as he changed the purpose of the technique, conserving all of the reiatsu of the previous spell to build up the power of the follow up spell.

**If I'm right, he's manipulating the spells by channelling all of his reiatsu into two points, his left arm is focusing the binding reiatsu, and his right, which is putting out a far more vigorous reiatsu, must be channelling destructive force spells, to think he can individually control and reconstruct his magic at the base level even after it's cast is beyond understanding, it would be alike to changing a Bala into a Cero after it was fired, it should be impossible!**

However, despite his mind telling him it shouldn't be possible, the terminal and screen readout was telling him otherwise, the pure facts on the screen denying what his mind wanted to call reality. Szayel bit his lower lip slightly as he continued to work furiously, despite his thoughts that his attempts may indeed be futile. **His body should have literally exploded from containing so much destructive force for so long already, it's akin to a forced increase of pressure in an already filled chamber, even if he can cope with it now, he can't indefinitely if he keeps increasing the pressure, Stark-san's only chance is that the Shinigami can't keep this up for long, if he manages to bring this up to the power that he exhibited earlier, Stark-san, that brat and half of the facility is going to be reduced to ashes!**

As he realised this, he subconsciously spared one hand for a second to manipulate the chambers about the battle area, trying to manipulate as much of the facility away from the direction the Shinigami was facing. He bit his lip harder as he realised his mind had just considered the possibility that he would fail at stopping the Captain, his attempts to mitigate potential damage showing that he had just lost faith in his own abilities.** Preposterous, I am Szayel! There is no way some worthless Shinigami will defeat my science!** Despite his attempts to reassure himself, he still felt a strangely human chill of fear crawl up his spine as he desperately continued to try and stop the Shinigami's technique.

(P.O.V change)

**I still can't mentally cast spells of a higher level** Yoshirou thought as he concentrated **But if I use the reiatsu from multiple lower spells and condense it, then it should be possible to cast a higher one without incantation!** As he said this, he stabbed the fingertips forward from his left hand, focusing with all his mental power on the first spell he knew exceeded his mental casting range. **Rikujokoro!** Yoshirou thought mentally, Taiyou converting the reiatsu he had already used and adding the necessary reiatsu from his own reserves. Stark slipped as the yellow prongs of reiatsu that pinned him down vanished, reforming about him as six sheets of light, halting his movements entirely, his face in a grimace as he tried to break out of the newly cast spell.

**His reiatsu is humongous, just holding him with one spell for longer then a few seconds is difficult!** Yoshirou thought as he felt himself sweating again. Not wasting time he twisted his right arm, feeling the build up of wind across his skin as the Soukatsui was converted into Tenran, his reiatsu depleting fast from trying to hold the might of the Espada down. He curved his left hand's fingers outwards into a claw like motion as he brought his right arm back, the wind dispersing into intense lightning as he focused the Tenran spell into Raikohou, mentally shouted **Sajo Sabaku! **

Stark grunted as the beams released him, only to wind about his arms, forcing his arms in tightly, judging from the face he was pulling, the spells were starting to take a physical toll on him rather than just being nuisances. **Like I thought, as long as I cast them fast enough, he feels the full effect!** Yoshirou thought as he pulled his right arm further back, pale blue fire spilling outwards from his hands in massive streams as his arm shook with the force of containing such a massive spell, his face twisting slightly as he tried to rein in the power from Soren Soukatsui into a single arm. The air was starting to whip about them now, caught up between his own powerful reiatsu and the reiatsu Stark was forcing out, trying to break the Bakudo he was sealed in.

_Your not going to be able to do much more if you keep this up, controlling this with my power sealed is taking everything I've got!_

**Just a bit longer, I need to make sure this spell will have enough power to defeat him, it's all for nothing if it doesn't! **Yoshirou thought as he pulled on more of his power, the chains around Stark dissolving as the reiatsu split into nine sections, flying around him as dark holes as they pulled his body taught, Stark grimacing as he felt his limbs tested to the limits, realising he was trapped now, the spells were proving too much for his reiatsu to break out of easily. However, Yoshirou's face was also twisted into a grimace, his veins feeling as though they were on fire from the insane concentration of Kido he was channelling through both arms; keeping himself connected to the spells for so long was dangerous for his body.

With one final shout, his voice reverberating from power as he pushed his right arm forward, his left forming one final seal. Stark could only watch at the massive energies roiling around Yoshirou's arm as the spell was channelled, blue energy intermixed with sparks of lightning as he focused all of his power. **Damn, I can't bring it any higher than this!** Yoshirou realised, feeling the power ripping up his arm as he tried to hold it back. **I was hoping I could at least bring it up to 91, but it seems I'll have to make do with this!**

Yoshirou started to mentally shout his final incantation, but just as he did so, Stark's growled out one final word himself. "Cero." **Cero!** Yoshirou thought, not understanding how Stark could use the technique in his state. However, despite that, the attack was charging in mid air before his torso, no focus point at all for the technique, nothing but a ball of blue reiatsu collecting. **Damn!** Yoshirou thought as he finally released his technique, his mind shouting silently **Hiryugekizokushintenraihou!**

At the range the two were standing facing each other, the attacks were unleashed simultaneously, a blue immense beam of reiatsu from Stark's torso, a massive channelled beam of blue lightning from Yoshirou's own arm.

Both beams collided barely metres away from the two combatants, the intense roar from the collision of a Cero and a Kido drowning out all potential thought from the two combatants, other than to pour their reiatsu into their techniques. **Damn it all, I wasted too much reiatsu making sure he couldn't retaliate, and then he fires a Cero with no starting gesture!** Yoshirou thought as he grit his teeth, moving his left arm to support his right as he forced more reiatsu out of his arm. **I only have a few seconds before my Kido stops working again; I need to overpower him now! **Yoshirou thought as he shouted outwards, roaring almost as loudly as the collision between their attack as what was left of his reiatsu exploded into life about him, his reiatsu sparking outwards with the same reiatsu as his attack, massive lightning trails scoring paths through the rock around them, melting the rock instantly with it's intensity as he poured everything he had left into the attack.

For a minute, it looked like Yoshirou's final effort would win out, Stark's eyes widening with surprise as his Cero was forced back, slowly consumed by the almighty reiatsu from Yoshirou's Kido, the wind pressure ripping his hair back from his head as he saw the lightning spit out from the massive beam of blue energy. Lilynette shouted out in surprise-"Stark!" as she also thought he was about to be enveloped in that massive power and obliterated. However, just as his own Cero failed, he felt the effects from the sealing magic weaken; at the same time Yoshirou's spell lost its intensity. Stark broke free from the Sealing magic, but was forced to cross his arms before his torso and weather what was left from the massive blast, the energy still enough to smash through the ground about him and send him flying backwards from the force.

(P.O.V change)

Stark uncrossed his arms slowly once he felt himself no longer forced back. He winced slightly from pain, his arms badly burnt from the effect of stopping Yoshirou's final spell, his torso completely bare to see as nearly all of his clothing had been consumed by the energy of the spell. Instantly, Stark quickly tucked his tattooed hand into what was left of the pocket on his robes, hiding the number 1 from sight and hoping his foe hadn't noticed his blunder. However, Yoshirou's eyes were closed, panting for breath, his arms dropped uselessly to his side, completely defenceless in his exhaustion. **So that was his real strength then?** Stark thought as he winced slightly, his arms hurting badly, the skin burnt and cracked in places as blood started to pour down his arms. He wasn't used to pain, he couldn't remember the last time he had been injured, he had never met any Hollow within Hueco Mundo with the kind of strength to even scratch him.

**I see why Szayel sealed so many of his abilities now, even with my release I don't know if I could have handled his full strength… I didn't know it was possible for someone so strong to exist among Aizen-sama's enemies… **Stark sighed slightly as he contemplated the situation. No doubt his opponent was spent now, that last furious blast of energy being all of his reiatsu into one attack, even if he had only been hit with the weakened version of it, the pain in his arms told him that he would have been a lot worse off if he had taken the full brunt of that attack. Stark raised his face to look at the Shinigami, still doubled over from exertion. **I don't want to kill him; it's so rare to find someone like him, why did we have to be enemies?** Stark wondered as Yoshirou finally got his breath back, straightening up as he looked wearily at Stark.

Stark was surprised by the look in Yoshirou's eyes. He was almost taken aback by what he was seeing. **He still hasn't given up, that's very surprising, he can't have much reiatsu left after all that exertion, but he's still ready to fight me in that state?** Stark sighed as he swung his sword arm, testing the reaction from his body. Just a he expected, his arm burned with pain when he swung his sword, his movements slowed slightly due to the pain. He watched as his enemy smirked again, his arms unsteady as he reached for his sheathed sword. **He really does intend to keep fighting… does he have one more trick up his sleeve?** Stark thought in surprise, as he watched Yoshirou stand up fully, his sword held at a strange angle.

(P.O.V change)

**Damn, I feel crap…** Yoshirou thought as he was doubled over from his exertion. **That hurt, trying to restrain that much reiatsu with my body alone, like I thought it's not a techniques I should use outside of my Shikai…** Raising his head wearily, he looked at Stark, who was seemingly observing his arms, the skin badly burnt with streaks of blood along his arms**. Well, it's not like I'm the only one in a bad condition, with luck that might slow his sword down a little now, the main problem will be dealing with that Cero… Look's like I'll have to use it.**

_Yoshirou, if you couldn't use my Shikai, you've got no guarantee that will even work, and I'm not sure whether your body can handle that kind of force now it's this badly injured!_

**C'mon, this doesn't even compare to fighting the Sou Taichou, and he's injured now as well, I'll just have to do the best I can, I just need my body to hold out for one minute, that should be enough.** Yoshirou pulled himself up, his body feeling odd as Taiyou tried to deal with the internal damage channelling too much reiatsu had caused, almost like it wasn't quite his own body. Yoshirou looked Stark in the eye, and was surprised by what he saw, it was as if he could see a reluctance in the Espada's eye. Yoshirou couldn't help but smirk as he thought just how strange this whole fight had been, he didn't even feel like he was trying to fight a Hollow any more, the man before him exhibiting none of the traits he had ever seen in one before. **Oh well…** Yoshirou thought as he reached for his zanpakuto, his hand closing upon the blade's wrapped hilt, strangely comforting and familiar, something that he thought was strange that he was noticing now in the middle of a battle.

Drawing his blade, Yoshirou pulled on his reiatsu once more, albeit this time with different intentions. The Arrancars eyes showed surprise as his power coalesced about him, the reiatsu changing and building in a strange pattern as Yoshirou straightened up. I just need one minute, that should be more than enough. Yoshirou thought finally as he raised his sword before him, twisting the handle so the blade edge pointed towards his own body, the sword tip pointed to the ground. As he did this, his reiatsu started to grow even fiercer, the ground around him torn to pieces as massive slabs of rock started to float up, caught in the torrent of reiatsu as they were crushed to dust.

Stark could only watch as the Reiatsu took definite form, forming solid shapes, almost like wings, within the torrent of golden light as they wrapped about the Shinigami, hiding him from view, the strange, almost eerie noise that now emitted from his Reiatsu making Stark's hair stand on end. **What is this, how can he still have this much reiatsu left, and how is he using his sword? I thought his sword was sealed?** Stark thought as he braced himself, the torrent of reiatsu starting to rain down about him, the Shinigami's reiatsu having changed so much he could barely compare to what he had been using before, Stark's shoulders feeling heavy as if an immense force was pushing down all about him. Stark's eyes narrowed as he considered his choices. Deciding finally, his arm moved rapidly as his katana was raised, his free arm holding his sword sheath as he sheathed his Zanpakuto, shouting out-"Lilynette!"

However, before Yoshirou could complete his Bankai, before Szayel could finish getting his data, before Stark could release his sword, before Lilynette could even reach her partner, before Grimmjow could break free from the grip of another Arrancar, Ulquiorra quietly stated-"The missions completed, we are going back."

* * *

**Yes, I know it's an anticlimactic ending ending, but like I said, I want to hide the Bankai until against Aizen, however it wouldn't make sense for Yoshirou to refuse to use it no matter what, so I had to do an anti-climax, sorry.**

**As usual, reviews are always loved, criticism is completely fine and welcomed, since it helps me improve my work. If people dont really like this battle ending, I may reowkr the ending towards a better one, but uf your going to criticise it, you had best leave a better alternative idea for me to work from or I will have no idea as to what was wrong with it.**

**Anyhow, cya all next chapter!**


	33. Chapter 31

**Hello, long time no story lol. Well, hiatus might still be continuing for a while, Uni is getting awful, but I thought I might add another chapter today, sorry if it seems a bit hashed in the storyline, I did the best I could, but POV are going to be merging quite a bit, it could suddenly swap without warning since theres so many so be careful.**

* * *

Yoshirou's lips froze as his ears, despite being filled with the almighty roar from his own reiatsu, picked up another roar. However, what made him freeze was the knowing that this roar was neither from his own mouth or his opponents. The noise was coming from above him. Before he could turn his head, his thoughts distracted as he felt the ebb of his reiatsu fluctuate in surprise in tune with his own emotions, he heard another, minute noise

_Tsk_

Stark tutted quietly out of a frustration Yoshirou couldn't fathom. It all happened within mere fractions of a second, not enough time for Yoshirou's exhausted and strained mind to realise what these noises meant, and how they were related. That was until the light flew down. One second, the Espada was staring at him with a serious expression, obviously surprised by Yoshirou's sudden explosion in reiatsu brought about by starting to access his un-mastered Bankai, the next his face broke into a look of annoyance as he was completely swallowed by a beam of yellow light. Even with the exhaustion from their prolonged battle clouding his mind, Yoshirou couldn't fail to recognise the light before him, as he pieced together exactly what he saw before him, his Reiatsu fell silent, no longer fuelled by his will into greater heights, the golden mirages of wings within the cloud of reiatsu about him collapsing on themselves as they vanished along with the golden reiatsu.

"Caga Negacion!"-Yoshirou hissed out with anger as his memories flashed before his eyes, the sight of a more hated enemy than the one before him looking back through the haze of memories with that self assured expression. However, the enemy before him was just as much put out by the appearance of the light as he was, Stark's head slowly shaking as he wiped a hand exasperatedly over his face. Stark turned his head slightly first to ascertain the condition of his partner, Lilynette herself skidding to a stop before she clashed with the light fuelled wall that ran about her separate from Stark. Upon seeing she was also safe, Stark relaxed before turning to face Yoshirou, an almost apologetic expression on his face.

"Well, that's it I suppose, times up for us."-Stark said slowly as he watched Yoshirou weave slightly from his tiredness, despite keeping all of his attention on Stark. Yoshirou's features tightened as he said-"Times up? What do you mean, was all this just a setup?" Stark sighed in response, shrugging lightly as he replied-"Sorry, but strictly no telling the Shinigami the plan, I don't fancy meeting Aizen-sama again if I spill the beans just over a scary look from you, since I'm afraid that's what we are reduced to now the welcome mat back to Hueco Mundo has been laid." Yoshirou clenched his jaw tightly as he heard the resounding crack from the cavern as the ground was ripped up all about Stark, frustrated as he accepted Stark's words.

_Yoshirou, get out through the roof! Quickly! You might be able to use your powers if you leave this cavern!_

**What?** Yoshirou thought with surprise as his enemy slowly started to rise within the ethereal light. However, the surprise didn't last as his tired mind understood what Taiyou was telling him. Stark watched with interest again as his sharp eyes perceived the sudden change of the light emanating from Yoshirou's eyes, before watching the injured Captain's legs tense. With a small explosion from the rocks about his feet, Yoshirou rocketed into the air, forcing Stark to crane his neck upwards in confusion as he followed the Captains sudden movement, surprised that the Captain would be already leaving as he watched the Shinigami reach the rupture in the cavern roof, quickly escaping outside and out of Stark's sight. Stark shook his head slowly again, not sure whether he was disappointed about not finishing the fight, or relieved that this battle hadn't ended in a death match. All he could do was wait for the slow return to Hueco Mundo.

(P.O.V change)

**Well, it seems Ulquiorra-san's plan proceeded smoothly** Szayel noted sourly as he glanced at the walls of light about him. He felt massively disappointed in Ulquiorra's timing. While he knew he had no control over the passive Arrancar, he cursed the fact that he had in the end missed gaining the data from either the Primera or the Captain. His study had, for all intents and purposes, been finished perfectly, he gained all the required data from the battles, he had successfully kept the Kido Corps Captain within the facility until the Plan was enacted, and most importantly, he was perfectly fine. However, in his thoughts he almost considered the entire mission a debacle; he had gained no data from either the Captains Bankai, or the Primera's release.

**Oh well, I can always postulate the theories, and calculate from the evidence I already have obtained** Szayel thought as he tapped his chin lightly, his eyes straying upwards as he saw the darkness from the portal in the sky, the roof of his chamber vaporised by contact with the Caga Negacion. The biggest surprise from this mission was the growth of the entity known as Yoshirou Kenshin. The previous records that were within the database look almost as from another entity altogether than from the same Captain that was within this trap, his overall reiatsu growth is at a predicted 200% from previous records, however, it would be difficult to consider his growth in abilities since this new spell ability has no previous records to compare to.

Szayel continued his complex calculations within his own thoughts quietly for a while, before he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light. "Solar Radiation"-Szayel murmured quietly as he raised a hand to shade his eyes as he emerged from the underground complex and into the open air, the brightness of the sun brighter than the walls of light that surrounded him. Covering his eyes, Szayel glanced towards the horizon, searching for the tell tale beams of light from his so called comrades.

**Three from Area one, all accounted for…..Two? Two from Area Two?** Szayel paused as he considered what this meant, before dismissing it. **Ulquiorra must have returned to the Real World as well, now… ah yes, Three from the compound, that's everyone accounted for.** It wasn't that Szayel was concerned for his allies, but he was interested in which corpses he might have been able to obtain. While it was unfortunate that there weren't any deceased, it wasn't an important piece.

**Now, this should be where it gets interesting…** Szayel mused as he turned, his senses detecting the presences nearby. Just as he had predicted, the presence of the Shinigami Captain was outside of the complex now, his body visible nearby as he landed upon the grassy hill, having just emerged from the darkness of the underground complex. Szayel smiled as he watched the Captain, already predicting what the expression would be on his face despite the situation. **No, not a face of defeat, a face of purpose!** Szayel thought as he remembered the live recording he had decrypted from the files of the events within Soul Society after their leaders betrayal.

He could see it before him now, the video screen depicting the scene as the flock of disarrayed Shinigami looked on with varying levels of anger and disappointment according to their stations of deceived underling, comrade or superior, their target their Leader, standing within the tunnel of light from the Caga Negacion. However, among them all was the man most bloodily injured, the man who looked like he had no right to still be among the living, his organs nearly on display to the world about him. To go along with this disgusting condition, the man even went so far as to utter the most stupid and unbelievable of comments. Had it not been for the words of the so called Taichou afterwards, Szayel would have been inclined to laugh at the recording. But it seemed the old man had confidence the nearly dead Shinigami was telling the truth.

That made Szayel curious, and so he had planned to make sure that he would ever witness the moment the man did what he claimed he could on that recording. That moment was right now, as Szayel stood in the air, enclosed in light in a world that could never be reached from the outside, safe from every and all threats, just like the Primera who was now appearing from within another tunnel of light in the distance, already sporting his bored expression. There was no way either of them could be harmed, impossible, completely, inexplicably, impossible.

The recording showed the man looking up in anger as he struggled to lift himself from the dirt, exclaiming_-"I can do it, If it's Caga Negacion, I can break it. Anything that is based about light energy, I can control."_

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou cringed slightly in pain as his limbs cried out in pain as they absorbed the shock from landing on the ground. Instantly, his head seemed to clear, his thoughts becoming sharper, his mind crowding with information that was fed in from his senses. **You were right, that cavern was blocking my abilities! **Yoshirou thought out with surprise as he felt new energy flow through him, his strength re-awakening from being forced into a dormant state, the strange tension that had been restricting his soul disappearing with the wind that he now felt stinging his injured wounds.

However, Yoshirou didn't have time to be relaxed and enjoy this new freedom as he opened all of his senses outwards, throwing his mental senses about him for miles as he desperately tried to learn what he could about the situation he was in. As his eyes adjusted to the new light, he saw in the distance multiple beams of light as numerous Caga Negacion could be seen. **Damn, seven including the two which are here, that means there were five Espada (1) attacking Karakura while I was stupidly kept in this trap, how stupid of me!** Yoshirou cursed his own naivety as he tried to sense everybody else, desperately hoping nobody had been badly injured or worse, killed.

**Kurosaki… he's injured, but alive, thank god, he's safe…Two Espada, right beside him, damn, we were both targeted? Aizen must have been trying to eliminate the both of us since we are the only ones capable of battling him! It seems Shinji rescued him though, man he is amazing, taking on two Espada and it feels like he isn't even exhausted!** Heaving a loud sigh of relief, Yoshirou turned to the next item of attention, the group of three Espada. However, he was surprised at one of the signatures he sensed, gritting his teeth slightly as his senses accurately read the condition of the target.

**Soi Fon! Why is she here! And she's been injured! Shit, how could I have messed up so badly! Hitsugaya seems injured… their all injured, they must have had a hell of a time with the three Espada, but it seems Urahara managed to help them pull through…** Yoshirou sighed loudly again, the tension leaving his body as he thought **Thank God, their all alright, everybody is all right…** He still couldn't sense inside the complex below him, so he still felt concerned for his team, but from what he could tell, it seemed everything was over now.

**No, not over…** Yoshirou thought as he straightened up, his body no longer hurting him as Taiyou numbed the pain, the healing already started. Yoshirou turned to face the two beams of light just in time to witness the Espada and his partner rising in two separate tunnels. Stark had already tucked his hands back within his tattered robe pockets, somehow maintaining a composed look despite his ruined clothes and his notably charred arms, looking up into the seeming mouth of darkness over him. The younger arrancar was sitting cross legged in her Caga Negacion, trying a threatening growl coupled with a look that could kill at Yoshirou. Yoshirou ignored her as he looked at Stark, shouting loudly-"Stark, what was Aizen's plan! Why arrange all of this and then not finish me? Nobody has been killed, nothing has happened, so tell me, what is Aizen doing!"

Stark sighed irritably as he glanced down from his seeming podium, now floating slightly above Yoshirou. However, he looked down, replying in a serious tone-"I told you, your not going to make me tell you, just go home, your alive, what more could you want? The Plan didn't involve your death, so just return home, greet your friends, walk in the park, enjoy life, hell, whatever you Shinigami do." Yoshirou was surprised, had he faced any ordinary foe, he would have expected either something condescending, or an angry response, anything but something so normal. Stark returned to his former pose as he watched the sky once again.

Yoshirou closed his eyes, almost wondering whether he really wanted to do what he was about to. **I must know what Aizen intended, it's too risky to not know…** Yoshirou finished as he summoned his reiatsu once again, swinging his katana down wards as his blade was released. Stark raised an eyebrow as he watched, his eyes locking with Yoshirou's eyes as he quietly asked-"Are you that determined to finish this?" Yoshirou didn't reply as he pulled his Shikai Greatsword before him, pointing it horizontally to the beam of light before him, the core of the Shikai suddenly glowing with an intense light as Yoshirou pulled into his reiatsu. Stark watched calmly, not once uttering how futile it was to try and destroy the Caga Negacion, respecting his foe's determination to try and reach him.

His partner on the other hand, had no such inhibitions. Lilynette gave up on her angry glare, and started laughing loudly and derisively at Yoshirou's attempt to destroy the Caga Negacion. "Hey, are you stupid? Everybody knows it's completely impossible to do anything once this comes down, your just wasting your time!"-Lilynette sneered as she watched Yoshirou's eyes close, raising his blade slowly up high above his head. Lilynette seemed to notice her jeering had no effect, and instead watched bemused as Yoshirou held this pose for a few seconds. In comparison, Stark subconsciously took a breath and held it in without realising it, as if he was expectant for what Yoshirou would do. Suddenly Yoshirou's eyes snapped open, causing Lilynette to gasp slightly with fear.

Yoshirou's eyes had gone totally black, as the light about his own Zanpakuto vanished instantly with the light from his eyes. All noise seemed to stop in that instant, as if time itself had halted with Yoshirou's power. All three observers could feel the change as Yoshirou looked at the light before him with his eyes that held no light themselves, before he quietly, almost whispering, declared-"Hakai Ryōiki" (2)

(P.O.V change)

Soi Fon could only clench her teeth in frustration as she watched the Espada vanish from sight above them, swallowed by the vast darkness that was in the sky. **After all of that, they retreated before we could even finish any of them off!** Soi Fon thought in annoyance. The battle had been closer than she had been willing to admit, the only reason they had managed to gain the upper hand was a combination of the multi armed Espada being very naïve and obviously inexperienced of using his abilities, and even more regrettably, the aid rendered by the annoying man who was even now walking through the air with a far too happy expression on his face, clapping his hands as if in congratulations.

"Good job everybody! We managed to repel them with no serious injuries, for dealing with three Espada, I would say that was a good job!"-Urahara cheerfully called out. Soi Fon felt tempted to punch the annoying man there and then, and judging from the expression that flitted across Hitsugaya's face nearby as he deactivated his Bankai, he was probably of same mind. "Taichou!"-a voice suddenly called out from below as Ikkaku, Yumichika and Matsumoto joined them, Matsumoto in particular seemingly worried about her Captain, Hitsugaya promptly brushing her off with a -"I'm fine." Ikkaku and Yumichika took to looking surprised at both Urahara and Soi Fon's presence, obviously confused by the situation of the two being present.

Soi Fon rolled her eyes in annoyance, she knew that she needed to get their aid, but she now no longer felt like it, the presence of Urahara so close by was getting on her nerves, she still wasn't about to forgive him for what he did in forcing Yoruichi to abandon her, even if he was innocent of the charges on him. Seeing all of the lieutenants and lower seats crowd about Hitsugaya, Soi Fon turned away, planning to move on to a more pressing objective. "Oh excuse me, I'm being rude aren't I? After all, it's very rare that we two get to meet, isn't it? I should have greeted you properly!"-Urahara exclaimed as he suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her move. Soi Fon hissed quietly with annoyance as she retorted-"It would have been preferable not to meet something like you Urahara, now move, I have something more pressing to do."

Urahara however didn't move, his expression still as cheery as ever waving his hand as he said-"Now now, I'm sure it could wait a second for everybody else to finish up, after all we just got through a tough battle didn't we? Haste makes waste and all!" Before Soi Fon could reply, he walked past her as if to see Hitsugaya, however she didn't miss his parting words-"What can you do alone in that bad condition?" Soi Fon tsked as she turned, knowing he was right. That blow from the Espada had not only been painful, she had broken a few ribs from it, and she wasn't in optimum condition to take on any attempt at aiding Yoshirou. Once again, Urahara started his clapping routine, although now it was to gain everyones attention.

"Now everybody, I'm sorry to be hurrying you after that kind of trial, but duty calls! As I am sure Hitsugaya-kun is aware, there is another operation being pulled off nearby that very well could have gone astray due to the sudden appearance of the Espada."-Urahara cheerfully announced, surprising not only the shinigami he was speaking too, but Soi Fon as well. **How did he know about that, it was meant to be a restricted information mission!** Soi Fon thought in annoyance, before remembering once again just what kind of man she was thinking about. Unperturbed by her thoughts, Urahara continued as he announced-"Now, of course I'm not giving any orders here, but it might be nice to consider giving some help towards this operation, just in case, what would you say Hitsugaya?"

Soi Fon shook her head in exasperation as she turned away, ignoring the rest of the conversation as she fixed her gaze in the direction which she had memorized where Yoshirou's mission was to be carried out. She didn't like what she saw one bit, three rays of golden light shone in that direction, signifying three Espada. **That means he could have been fighting those three by himself! Admittedly, I had trouble fighting the one, and there are three, he might as well have been alone for how useful his own squad will have been. This isn't good; we need to get moving now!** Soi Fon thought urgently as she watched the distance, hoping that Yoshirou was still surviving.

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou tensed every muscle in his body, ignoring the strange distortion in his view that always happened whenever he activated this ability, focusing his power completely into what was before him, his Shikai. Once again, he felt the strange disturbance about him, completely alien to his usual reiatsu. He never fully understood why this ability felt so different before, but now he knew it was that this ability drew from his bloodline, he wasn't sure whether it was so wise to use with Aizen studying him. Still, he needed to know what Aizen was doing, and if he had to force it out of the Espada, he would. Focusing on what was before him; it almost felt like time restarted as he swung the Shikai down, straight into the Caga Negacion wall.

The effect was instant, the Caga Negacion fluctuating as a strange, unearthly screech came from the wall. Stark's eyes flashed open with shock as the wall seemed to press inwards with the Shikai, which should have been impossible. It looked almost as if the wall of the Caga Negacion was melding to the Shikai that had struck it, the wall seemingly deteriorating and being absorbed into the Shikai. Before Stark could react, the wall dissolved enough to let the Shikai through. The sword smashed into the rock platform he was standing upon, causing him to lose his footing and start to fall downwards. Stark recovered instantly, realising he was in trouble. He tried to jump upwards, towards the dark portal, but now the remains of the Caga Negacion were a prison, the way upwards blocked by the Shikai now blazing once more with light as it regained its razor sharp edge, the walls about him not letting him escape sideways. What was supposed to be an unbreakable defence was now turned into an inescapable trap, all it would take was for Yoshirou to swing the blade down and he would be split in half.

"Stark!"-Lilynette called out in shock as she tried to run to his side, but also now blocked by a prison, the supposedly unbreakable walls of her own safe haven stopping her from running to her partner's side. All she could do was watch as she slowly vanished into the portal of darkness, shouting his name constantly. Stark's features clenched slightly as he watched the portal shut, his own escape no longer possible. As the walls that stopped him from escaping slowly dissolved, Stark waited for his death, but was surprised as the blade was pulled back. In an instant, Stark was free, jumping away from the disintegrating Caga Negacion. As he landed, he slowly turned to face his foe. Yoshirou drew his Shikai before him, light slowly flowing outwards, his eyes once again returning to their piercing blue colour rather than the darkness he had seen before.

"Why didn't you strike me?"-Stark slowly asked as he drew his own blade carefully with his remaining useable hand, still hiding the now bare tattooed hand inside his robes. Yoshirou watched this movement without attacking himself as he stated-"I need answers, what was Aizen's plan?" Stark shook his head despite his condition as he started to pull on what was left of his reiatsu. He knew it was all over now, even without being able to release, he doubted he could stand up to fighting his foe in this situation where the Shinigami could now use the full extent of his powers, it was immensely difficult when he was sealed, and Stark also knew he still had that Bankai, he had no chance of winning.

He couldn't give his enemy the information he asked for his life either, if he did, Aizen would learn of it instantly and either kill him, or worse, make him walk the plains alone again. He had no doubt now Lilynette was back in Aizen's hands, he would eliminate her without a care if he did do what the Shinigami asked, and more than his own death, he wouldn't lose her, he didn't want to be alone again. **Sorry Lilynette, looks like your going to be alone without me now** Stark said to himself wistfully as he replied-"I can't tell you that."

Yoshirou raised an eyebrow in return, before saying-"You can't defeat me now in your condition, even if I'm in a bad condition, I can still fight at full strength as long as my abilities aren't sealed, you have lost, just tell me what I want to know and I will let you go." Stark shook his head again, even if he could tell the words were honest, he had no choice. "Sorry Shinigami-san, but it's the same end either way for me, so I can't tell you anything."-Stark stated bluntly as he pulled on the last amount of his power, still enough to create a pillar of fiery blue reiatsu about him, causing the atmosphere to almost spark with it's force as he put everything he had into this one last battle that he was about to face.

"Enough…"-Yoshirou quietly stated. Stark pulled his sword into his stance as he waited for Yoshirou's next attack. However, Yoshirou once again said-"That's enough…" Stark's eyes widened with shock as he watched the light dissipate about his foe, Yoshirou's sword returning to its katana form. Stark stood still, his sword still poised for battle, his reiatsu still thundering about him as Yoshirou walked in a different direction, towards the massive rift that they had come from. Stark waited for a few seconds as if expecting an attack, but Yoshirou didn't attack. Just as Yoshirou was about to leap back into the darkness, Stark shouted out-"Why aren't you fighting me?"

Yoshirou stopped in his tracks, before turning back. Stark was surprised by the sight, a small smile on the Captains face. "No matter what I do, I can't get what I need from you, so why fight? I need to save my squad, not fight a needless battle."-Yoshirou asked. Stark froze in surprise, his own reiatsu dying about him as he considered the question. Unable to understand, Stark stated flatly-"I'm a servant of Aizen, one of his soldiers. If I am ordered to, I will kill a thousand Shinigami, or I will kill you and I won't care less, is that not reason enough?" Yoshirou shrugged, replying-"if the time comes when you will threaten me and my allies, I will also kill you without a seconds hesitation to protect them, but I am me, I will not kill just for convenience, since it will make life easier in the long run when you mean no harm to me now. There was no killing instinct within the sword that I fought today, your not here because you want to kill, you're here because you were ordered to be."

Stark hesitated, he couldn't understand this situation whatsoever. As he watched, Yoshirou turned to go down the rift once again. However, some strange feeling made him call out-"Wait." Yoshirou paused to listen as Stark took a slow breath. "If you want to rescue your friends, you will have to be fast, this place is rigged to collapse in five minutes, burying anyone still within in a reiatsu negating field of rocks, anything Hollow or Shinigami will die instantly, so don't take your time getting them out."

Yoshirou's eyes widened in turn now as he watched Stark turn away from him, tapping the air as he created a Garganta for him to leave. Yoshirou watched as Stark stepped into the portal, but he seemed to wait before closing it. On impulse, Yoshirou said-"You know, I think you and I might be more alike than I thought, perhaps if we hadn't been on opposing sides, we mightn't have had to be enemies, perhaps we could have been freinds." Stark laughed at that, before turning back to Yoshirou and stating-"I'm a Hollow, you're a Shinigami, we will always be enemies no matter what." And with that, the portal started to close, however, not fast enough for Yoshirou to quickly say-"I'm not convinced that's true." He thought he saw Stark smile slightly just as the portal fully closed about him.

Yoshirou smiled slightly before he sharply came back to his senses. **Damn, only five minutes? This is going to be tough! **Yoshirou thought as he dived headfirst into the rift, shunpo-ing downwards to gain time.

(P.O.V change)

The chamber was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing from both Shinigami and Arrancar as the battle entered another lull. The chamber alone was an absolute mess, rocks smashed apart, scorch marks and melted crevices lining the walls from blasts created through the Fire Zanpakuto, even the ground was strewn in tiny fragments of ice from where the ground had been shattered from the effects of the Ice Zanpakuto. The owners of the weapons that had created this vast destruction weren't in a much greater state, both men weary and bloody from the various injuries they had taken.

However, there was a feel of confidence from the two men as they faced their enemy, now breathing so roughly that he didn't have the breath to throw any more insults, his body painted with blood and burns from their battle, one of the mighty blades that he prized shattered with nothing but a frozen stub left an inch from the handle. Even now, the Arrancar glared at them with a purely venomous expression as he spat another mouthful of blood to the ground. Growling, the Arrancar straightened up as he cursed-"You shitty Shinigami, how dare you injure me like this! Your nothing but weak worms who should be crushed underfoot, and I am going to kill you!"

Haneko managed to get his breathing under control as he watched his enemy shout and hurl insults again. Even though it looked like victory was theirs, he wasn't even remotely glad, the battle had taken far too long and he hadn't been able to contact the rest of the squad from the start. Even now as he pressed the module taped to his neck, all he could hear was silence and static echoing across the channels, not a word from the Captain or from the rest of the squad. Tanshou seemed to be of like mind as he grimly watched his opponent, his sword raised as the air about it crackled, ice falling in a tiny shower from the tip as his reiatsu fuelled the blade.

However, their thoughts were ended as they heard a new noise, a strange, rough chuckling, seemingly filled with a menacing aura. Suddenly, Haneko was forced to raise an arm before his face as the air suddenly ripped outwards from the Arrancar. "Impossible, he still has this much strength in that condition?"-Tanshou shouted over the now screeching wind that whipped about the cavern. Still, even with this noise, they could still hear the chuckling noise as it transformed into an all out howling of scorn filled laughter. "I can't believe that I am going to have to use my release against such trash like you Shinigami, it's almost praiseworthy for you scum to make me this serious!"-Baltasar bellowed out as he faced the two Shinigami.

"A release?"-Tanshou asked, his eyes widening at the prospect of facing this foe on another level. Haneko cursed as he pulled on his reiatsu, a cloud of fire enveloping him as he wasted no time pulling out what power he still had available. "Tanshou, we have to crush him now, before he can release!"-Haneko bellowed over the horrendous cacophony of noise, pulling his sword back as the fires raged about him, melding into his scimitar like Shikai (3). Nodding as well, Tanshou pulled on his reiatsu, the air about him falling to sub zero levels as his breath crystallised in the air before him, spinning his blade in a tight circle beside him as he prepared his own technique.

However, just as all hell was about to break loose in the chamber, the wind was suddenly dispelled by an even greater wind. However, this was not created by a channelling of reiatsu, but more the sudden deceleration of an incredibly fast moving object arriving within the chamber, distracting both Shinigami and Arrancar with it's presence as a massive white Haori disturbed the air, the proud symbol of the Kido Corps emblazoned upon the white material. Haneko, Tanshou, even Baltasar, all of them froze as the man who wore the Haori straightened up once more, covered in blood and injuries just as they were, but wearing a fierce expression as he looked about them.

"Taichou!"-Haneko blurted out as he regained his breath in relief, recognising the man before them instantly. However, there was no reply to his greeting, Yoshirou's features tight as he quickly said-"Where is everybody else! We need to leave now!" Haneko was surprised by the sudden urgency in the normally carefree voice, but his experience let him recover quickly as he reported-"They have attempted to escape while we defeated this opponent and guarded their backs." Yoshirou nodded slightly before turning to face the Arrancar. Baltaser seemed to rock just from the look, struck by the instinct that he was facing something immensely dangerous before him, even his cold Arrancar body breaking out in a sweat just from looking at the monster before him.

Yoshirou didn't do anything as he appraised his foe, before quietly ordering-"Go! You have to find them, get them out if you can, I made an exit in the tunnel I just came from, just aim for the surface, I'll follow shortly, now hurry!" Tanshou froze in surprise at all of this urgency, both he and his brother's instinctively wanting to know why this was so bad a situation. However, they both kept silent, bowing slightly as they respectively deactivated their Shikai, the ice and the fire vanishing as in unison, both men sheathed their blades before pivoting about and running towards the exit.

Baltasar roared in anger as the two men went to escape, instantly moving into Sonido to try and stop them, they had dared to fight and injure him, so he was going to make sure they died for their insult. However, halfway through the impossibly fast movements of Sonido, he was stopped painfully as Yoshirou moved even faster, smashing the crook of his arm into the Arrancar's torso as he tried to Sonido past him. Baltasar flipped in mid air from the blow, unable to recover due to his surprise as he smashed into the ground, his eyes only able to watch as the twin Shinigami disappeared into the darkness.

"You are fighting me, Arrancar."-Yoshirou declared coldly, having already felt the killing intent that had overflowed from the Arrancar before he had even tried to move, alerting Yoshirou to his intention. Whatever Stark had been, this Arrancar was nothing alike, his reiatsu filled with bloodthirsty intent, Yoshirou was not about to let this one go to wreak any more havoc. Baltasar spat out a small amount of blood again as he smashed the destroyed part of his sword into the ground, levering himself up to face this new threat.

"So you're the so called Captain? What, did the Primera chicken out and decide to let you live?"-Baltasar growled as he stood up, wrenching the remaining section of his broken zanpakuto from the earth. Yoshirou didn't reply to the challenge, instead pulling his zanpakuto before him, declaring-"Out of respect for an enemy, you have one minute, that's all I can spare." Baltasar could only stare at the complete confidence the Captain exuded, before roaring out in anger-"In one minute, your going to be a bloody mess on the floor, I'm going to crush you!" Once again, the chamber filled with wind as the remains of the Arrancar's blades glowed with a sickly light. Baltasar seemingly crossed what was left of his blades as he shouted-"Yotte, Caceria Espiga!" (4)

(P.O.V change)

Soi Fon couldn't help but speed ahead of the rest of the rag tag team she had managed to bring along with her as they raced towards their location. She couldn't pick up any reiatsu sources in the area to show anybody was even there, however she could literally feel the all powerful cloud of leftover foreign reiatsu that hung in the air. It was unsurprising after having felt the force of the reiatsu that had been monumentally present earlier, so strong that the reiatsu was reaching into the sky as a visceral pillar. That reiatsu had not been of a Shinigami, but from a hollow, and it had been so powerful that even as a Captain, she had felt a tiny prick of fear from sensing it. The power had vanished after it had appeared, but it hadn't been defeated, there was no matching power that had bested it, and that could only mean one thing.

**Whoever faced that enormous power was defeated…** Soi Fon realised quickly. The only alternate was that the foe had just withdrawn, but that was impossible, so whoever fought that monstrous power was now probably dead. She knew that deaths happened, it was all part of a soldiers life, she had never really given it much thought. If an underling died in order for the mission to succeed, then it was a worthy loss, he died for a good cause. She had never realised that she could fear another persons death before now, but now she couldn't help but feel the dread that the one who was defeated could have been him. **It couldn't have been, I would have sensed his presence, he's not so weak that a power that size would mask his fighting presence completely** Soi Fon tried to assure herself, but a niggling thought kept reminding her that there was no way Yoshirou would have let a subordinate under his command take on such a deadly foe, he would have fought the Espada himself.

Trying to shake the dreadful thought again, Soi Fon sped ahead through the tree's, focusing her mind purely on getting there as fast as possible. Further back, Urahara watched as the diminutive Captain was quickly disappearing into the distance. He knew just as well that was probably the situation as it stood, but unlike Soi Fon, his mind wasn't so fogged with fear that he couldn't see the problems with the situation.

First off, the fact was that their foes had obviously retreated at the same time; the Caga Negacion he had seen in the distance had proved that theory, so why was it that there even still was an enemy that powerful nearby? Secondly, they hadn't been able to sense anything until that moment, so he concluded the oppositions plans had not included being potentially detected outside, so the fact that they had sensed this foe at all was not part of the plan. Finally, while he had been able to sense the horrendous power as well, he hadn't sensed any aura from the power. Killing intent, fear, anger, he had sensed nothing. Of course, that could have been that the power he sensed had been outside of his understanding, but he doubted that highly, the power hadn't been that impressive.

In all, Urahara theorized that the opposition had faced an unexpected situation, and had been forced to compromise. The chances that the power they had sensed had been used to kill a foe was unlikely, it was probably used to either force the one side into submission or to ensure escape. It was also highly likely that it was indeed used against the Kido Corps Captain, a power of that scale would have too easily dwarfed a subordinate, so there would have been no need to summon that much power unless against a foe of equal power. Finally, Yoshirou had not tried to combat the foe, he had either let them go or had been forced to let them leave, the lack of any substantial reiatsu from the Captain in the vicinity was proof that he hadn't fought. "Most intriguing"-Urahara murmured to himself, a small smile settling on his face as he wondered just what they were about to find when they reached their destination.

It didn't take them long, although Soi Fon arrived ahead of the others, she had waited for the rest of the team to catch up as one by one, each shinigami arrived about the ruined hilltop where she had sensed the majority of the leftover reiatsu was focused upon. "Well well, what happened here?"-Urahara asked in a quiet tone as he glanced about. Once again he was ignored by Soi Fon, who started towards the massive, obviously unnaturally formed crevice that ran across the hillside. Hitsugaya suddenly walked beside Urahara, quietly asking-"What's your opinion of this situation?"

"Well, I would say it's pretty simple, our enemy was present here and ended up engaging the squad under Yoshirou-san's command."-Urahara answered, gaining another surprised look from the boy, before Hitsugaya growled under breath, muttering-"I wonder just how you always manage to find the most restricted information that was only known within the Captains meeting." Urahara smiled lightly as he took out his trademark fan, just simply saying-"I have my methods." Hitsugaya ignored this as he watched Soi Fon kneel near the crevice entrance, trying to figure out just what was at the bottom.

"Well, this is just the opinion of a humble shopkeeper, but I do believe an Espada was present, perhaps to destroy the Captain, perhaps only to delay. Either way, it seems we weren't meant to discover this until afterwards, but I'm guessing whoever fought the Espada managed to escape to outside, for all we know that could have been the signal for the retreat that we witnessed, the discovery of this separate operation by Soul Society. Of course, that's just a theory."-Urahara honestly said as some of the other Shinigami moved towards the crescent arc in the ground. After a few seconds, Matsumoto called out-"Taichou, what are your orders?"

Hitsugaya sighed as he considered what was happening. Quickly, he said-"For now, Soi Fon-taichou, myself and Urahara shall continue to try and ascertain what's happened here, since there still could be Arrancar in the area you are all to wait for further orders." Nearby the crevice, ikkaku started laughing as he lightly nudged Yumichika with his elbow, saying-"You hear that, there's gonna be Arrancar down there!" Nodding happily, Yumichika turned about to Hitsugaya, asking-"Taichou, if we may, can we also come along? I do believe Ikkaku and myself have not had our fill of fighting for the day, and Zaraki-taichou would be most disappointed if we don't come back with at least one dead Arrancar apiece."

"Wait, I can see something down there…"-Matsumoto suddenly declared. Within a flash, Soi Fon suddenly vanished, disappearing into the crater no sooner than she had heard the announcement. "Ah, Taichou that's unfair!"-Ikkaku shouted as, without waiting for orders from Hitsugaya, he also jumped down into the crevice, shortly joined by Yumichika with his exuberant-"Wait for me, Ikkaku!" Urahara chortled at the enthusiasm as he noted-"You would never think they really understand the threat of an Espada after having only just survived one fight." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement, before also moving towards the crevice. However, no sooner than he reached it, than Yumichika and Ikkaku promptly leapt back out of the hole, each man carrying an injured squad member on their shoulders.

Urahara gasped slightly in surprise at the condition of the men before them, he didn't recognise the squad members, but they were both heavily injured, gasping for breath even as Ikkaku and Yumichika carefully laid the men down. "Taichou, there's more!"-Matsumoto called out from near the crevice as she knelt, helping pull up a young woman who was also trying to carry another injured man. As the young woman was pulled clear, Urahara saw the sigil on her arm, the sign of the Vice Captain. As the woman fell down to her knee's in exhaustion, trying to carefully put the man she was having difficulty holding up down, Urahara knelt beside her, quietly asking-"What happened here?"

The green haired girl looked up blearily at Urahara. Unlike the others, she didn't seem so badly injured, but she was definitely exhausted from prolonged fighting. "Who are you?"-the girl asked tiredly, obviously not recognising the former Captain. Urahara straightened, instead leaving it to Hitsugaya to get what he could out of the girl. Instead he was interested in why Soi Fon hadn't reappeared. "Ikkaku-san, where has the Captain gone?"-Urahara asked as the 3rd seat was about to vanish back down the crevice. Turning back, Ikkaku said-"I don't know, once we got down there she was already gone, probably doing the same thing Yumichika and I had been planning, hunting us some Arrancar." Urahara considered this comment as Yumichika reappeared with another injured person.

"Get back from here!"-a sudden sharp voice called out, surprising the men who stood about the crevice. From within, two more men suddenly appeared, each holding another under their arms. Surprisingly, these two men seemed to be twins, and despite their awful appearance, both men held themselves with more strength than the others who had been taken from the crevice. "why are you ordering us back?"-Matsumoto asked as the two men, unlike the others, didn't release the men they held. It was hard to tell which one talked, but the first man replied-"I meant no insult, Matsumoto-fukutaichou, but our Taichou seemed to deem it extremely important that we quickly escaped, so we think something could be about to happen to the entire underground nest beneath us!"

No sooner than this was said that the entire area seemed to shake with an unseen force, the ground shaking under the tremor as the earth seemed to literally start to split under their feet. Instantly, Hitsugaya shouted out-"Get everyone away now!", quickly trying to lift one of the injured men from the ground himself. Everybody reacted instantly as the earth started to shake more, Ikkaku and Yumichika each grabbing another person from the ground. Matsumoto moved to help the young woman in carrying the man she had tried to help earlier. The twin shinigami instantly took to the air, lifting the men they carried with them. As this happened, Urahara tried to see if there was any sign of another person trying to escape from the crevice, however as massive sections of the earth started to fall in on itself, he also jumped away, joining the other Shinigami in the sky.

Just before the ground around the crevice itself started to collapse, another person managed to escape from the earth, Soi Fon having been fast enough to escape the immanent collapse of the structure. It took a full ten minutes for the rumbling to stop, and by the end the earth was transformed. No longer was there a calm forest on the side of a hill, now it was nothing but a jagged pit of rubble, great plumes of dust and debris flying into the sky from the destruction wreaked below. Nothing remained except a vast area of destruction, no signs of life amongst the destruction. Urahara breathed out slowly, calmly trying to figure out his thoughts, try and find an answer to the most pressing question, despite the clear and obvious fact. There was no sign of the Kido Corps Captain, not among the shinigami gathered around him, nothing in the rocks below him.

Nobody else except him seemed to notice this fact for a few seconds. Everybody seemed to be absorbed in shock at what had just happened, nobody had predicted a sudden seeming collapse of the entire hillside to happen, and they also had so many injured to deal with, every person rescued from the area sporting various levels of injuries. "We were attacked…by so many of them…"-Kira tried to gasp out as she was barraged by questions from the relief squad. Everybody quickly returned to the ground, some of the men needed emergency treatment if they were going to survive, everybody was busy trying to deal with every bodies wounds. But the question still hung over all of them, unasked and unanswered, where was their Captain?

Urahara turned to try and find Hitsugaya, to see what chances they had of mounting an attempt to discover the missing Captains fate, before he realised with a start that the 2nd Squad Captain had vanished once more from the crowd. "Soi Fon-san?"-Urahara called out, turning about to try and find her. It didn't take long; she was standing in the air again, directly above where they had found the crevice which had been the escape for the other Shinigami. Sighing slightly, Urahara took to the air himself, reaching her location nearly instantly. He was surprised that she didn't seem to notice him joining her, the Captains gaze darting from rock to rock below them, features drawn tightly as she tried to hunt for any sign of Yoshirou's presence.

Urahara sensed perhaps this wasn't the time to interrupt her, and instead focused on trying to find any signs himself. He could tell everything was wrong, the rocks were throwing off his ability to sense any reiatsu about him, it was almost as if the ruins were erasing spiritual presence nearby, hiding any and all evidence of spiritual activity. While this was convenient for masking the event from humans, it meant that any chances they had of finding the Captain were slimming dramatically, if the Captain wasn't conscious or had been knocked out while trying to escape, finding him was going to be virtually impossible unless they physically excavated the area. Taking his cane in his hand, Urahara started to sketch out lines in mid air, the trail of blood red light created forming a circle. **I doubt this will work, but it's worth **trying Urahara thought as he intoned-"Bakudo no 58, Kakushitsuijaku."

The ring glowed once with a pale red life as it tried to track the presence he seeked, his mind focused on the reiatsu signature of his target. Out of the side of her eye, Soi Fon also watched this display of power, hoping that it may shed some light in finding Yoshirou. However, rather than flash the symbol units that could be used to locate the target, the energy that formed the spell rapidly dissipated, unable to find the presence he seeked. Urahara made a slight tsk noise at the result, he knew now they were being blocked from finding him. Even if it was only a body, the spell should have found the lingering presence from their reiatsu, however he could detect nothing nearby.

Urahara made one last per functionary sweep with his eyes across the destroyed terrain, despite knowing that there was no way he would be able to see his target if the area they were looking in truly was an underground complex. After finding nothing, Urahara turned away from the site, muttering to himself as he tried to figure out what chances they had of any attempts of excavating the Captain, or even finding him alive.

However, he was surprised by a sharp intake of breath from the woman nearby, as Soi Fon suddenly jumped down from the air, landing amidst the rubble. **What is she doing?** Urahara wondered as the Captain picked her way through the rubble, passing massive jagged boulders as if she was seeking something. Beside him, Hitsugaya suddenly reappeared, running a hand through his white mane of hair. Turning to look up at Urahara, he stated-"It seems everybody we found is in a safe condition for now, we've been able to deal with the majority of their injuries for now, but we will have to return to Soul Society if their going to get the treatment they need to recover, we just don't have what's required here."

Urahara glanced down at the boy, seeing his cold expression. Looking back to the massive field of ruin, Urahara softly asked-"So you're saying you are going to abandon any attempt to retrieve the Captain to save the rest of the team here?" Hitsugaya seemed to hesitate for a second at the question, but nodded curtly to show his verdict of the situation. Turning away from Urahara as he started back to the rest of his squad, Hitsugaya answered-"While it is a sore loss, I don't think we are going to recover him, it's better that we save who we can than risk their condition on the tiny hope we may discover him. In due time, we will return, but right now saving their lives is the priority."

"Just as Aizen would have wanted…"-Urahara muttered to himself quietly, his voice too low for the Captain to detect as Hitsugaya walked away. Turning back to the rubble, he realised Soi Fon seemed to be pacing about a particular area. **Has she found something?** Urahara wondered as he leapt down towards the Captain. Landing on a boulder nearby, he went to approach, but a sharp glance from the Captain froze him in his tracks. **Ah yes, she still has that bone to pick with me** Urahara remembered as he saw the slight anger or annoyance that was transmitted in her glance at his presence. Trying to ignore the intimidating expression on her face, Urahara called out from a distance-"Did you discover anything?"

Soi Fon didn't even bother looking at him to reply as she bluntly said-"I can sense something nearby, I think it might be the Captain." Urahara's eyes widened with surprise at the short statement, throwing out his own reiatsu senses to try and confirm the Captains suspicion. However, he was quickly frustrated to find that he could still sense nothing, despite what Soi Fon had said, there was no presence nearby other than themselves. **Was she wrong?** Urahara wondered as Soi Fon closed her eyes again, obviously focusing on something. Nearby, a strange noise echoed across the clearing as Hitsugaya's squad opened a Senkaimon to leave with their injured party.

Once again, Soi Fon's eyes snapped open, but now they were filled with a confidence. Turning about, she shouted out-"Wait, I've found him! Get the relief squad over here!" Urahara could only stare in shock at the Captain as Hitsugaya's team stopped their attempts to leave via the Senkaimon, Hitsugaya suddenly appearing with Shunpo beside Soi Fon. As the rest of the squad joined them, Soi Fon quickly pointing towards a certain section of the ground as she knelt, obviously planning to start lifting the rubble herself, Urahara couldn't understand this new confidence. **How can she sense his reiatsu? I can't sense anything at all.**

Soon enough, all of the Shinigami joined in trying to break apart and move the rubble, despite their faces showing some confusion at the same prospect as Urahara. None of them could sense even the slightest amount of reiatsu from where they were excavating. Urahara stood back rather than get his hands dirty, watching the entire charade with some bemusement.

Deciding to find himself something else to occupy his time, he was glad to hear the clacking noise as a Senkaimon opened once more. Turning, he quickly realised that the injured group were already gone, the Senkaimon that was opened now showing a small squad of Shinigami pouring out, lead by three of the original injured team they had discovered, the twins and the young woman. Much to his surprise, the new group seemed to already know what to do, ignoring his presence and instead jumping over the destroyed terrain to lend their assistance to the small relief squad.** More members from the Kido Corps? **Urahara mused as he watched Hitsugaya giving hurried orders to the newcomers, directing the entire groups efforts as they continued to move the rubble with pure effort, the negative effect the rocks were having upon those who lifted them already telling as Matsumoto took a break, breathing hard despite what should have been little effort for a Shinigami to lift a boulder.

In comparison, Ikkaku seemed to be positively enjoying the challenge, his robes already pulled down to his waist as he defiantly hurled massive rocks from the ever growing hole, nearly hitting the nearby Shinigami constantly. As the time wore on, Urahara could only watch, wondering what made them all so sure of success, despite the lack of signs of any life within the destruction despite one Captains word that she could sense his presence. **Even Hitsugaya-san is taking part, is the potential chance that we may find one man really enough to make so many work so hard for his sake? Or is it because it is this man? **Urahara wondered as he watched what seemed to be a futile effort, although while he thought it was futile, he quickly realised that he had no urge to abandon the attempt, watching faithfully rather than getting on with the situation as he normally would have.

**Truly interesting… **Urahara thought as he took a seat on a nearby boulder, watching the assembled squad toil away. At least that was until he noticed Yumichika pulling a face. Closer to the squad, Ikkaku noticed his friends expression. Curious, Ikkaku hurled the last boulder over the top of the crater they had managed to pull out together, drawing an arm across his face as he wiped the sweat clear. Looking over to Yumichika, who had now stopped his toiling completely, obviously annoyed by something, Ikkaku asked-"What's getting on your nerves bad enough your stopping Yumichika?" Yumichika turned slightly, his expression still sour as he said-"While I am not so petty that I would refuse such dirty work as this to save a life, I simply cannot concentrate when someone is making such an awful racket with such a badly done tune, can you make whoever's tapping their feet like that stop!" Ikkaku raised an eyebrow in sarcasm at his nihilistic partner's answer, before suddenly realising what he could hear, an irregular sound of impacts from the ground, quiet, but most definitely not in time with anybody else's movement.

"Taichou, I can hear something!"-Ikkaku shouted loudly over the general noise everybody was creating. Nearly as one, everybody turned to the man who shouted as Hitsugaya heard the words, ordering-"Everybody stop!" For a few seconds, there was silence as everybody froze in place, waiting to hear the noise Ikkaku spoke of.

_Thump, Thump, Thump_

"Over there!"-Tansho shouted out, before realising he was pointing directly at Soi Fon anyway, who had been steadfastly moving the rubble away despite her smaller frame and injuries at the same spot since the start. **Oho**? Urahara noted with surprise as he watched everyone suddenly try to rush over to the source of the noise. He wasn't sure whether he was more surprised they had found at least something, or whether it was that the female captain had been right all along. There was no doubt now she had at least found something, not only was there noise, but he could now sense a weak level of reiatsu hanging around the air in the area, as if it had managed to leak out from whatever was beneath the rocks, too weak to be recognised so it could still be anything other than the Captain, but now Urahara was sure it couldn't be anything other than him.

Suddenly there was an almighty crash as an absolutely massive rock was catapulted from the earth, everyone jumping back in surprise as it hurtled skywards, reiatsu flying outwards in massive waves as whatever had been beneath the rocks now was freed, it's reiatsu for some reason blasting outwards with huge force, nearly forcing one or two people to their knees with it's extreme pressure. "Huh?"-a voice called out in slight surprise as the inhabitant of the crater stopped the massive roiling waves of golden reiatsu that was lighting up the ruined landscape, no longer unrecognisable or anywhere near as weak as they had been beforehand. "Whoops, didn't expect that to happen, sorry guys!"-a strangely cheerful voice called out as Yoshirou retracted his arm that was now poking out from amidst the rubble, his words almost drowned out as nearby the massive shelf of rock smashed into the ground, gravity having won out the battle between itself and the force Yoshirou had punched it away.

Urahara could only chuckle quietly as the other Shinigami recovered from their shock, running to the tiny hole the Captains arm had created, pulling away at the rocks to try and make a way out for him. "My my, just like him to act unfazed after the worry he puts everyone through."-Urahara murmured as he lifted himself from the boulder, stretching his legs as he picked up his trusty cane. However, rather than watch the squads attempt to dig the last bit to rescue the Captain, Urahara's eyes settled upon the figure of the Captain who had retreated away rather than join the crowd, watching silently alongside Hitsugaya instead of helping.

With a quick step, Urahara suddenly appeared on the opposite side of Hitsugaya, making sure to not invade the testy Captain's personal space in case he had a severe comeback, curiosity overcoming him as he non-chalently said-"Brilliant, what good luck that we were able to find him!" Hitsugaya seemed to almost give a wry smile as he stated-"I have a feeling from that last performance that if we had left him, he would have gotten out by himself, it almost feels like a wasted effort." Urahara chuckled again as he waved his fan in Hitsugaya's general direction, saying-"now now, don't lovely scenes like this, when we successfully save lives make all the effort worth it?" Hitsugaya just shrugged in reply. Urahara smiled, before quietly saying-"Isn't it good that you were able to sense him Soi Fon-san? Personally, I couldn't sense anything until a few minutes ago."

Soi Fon sharply stared at Urahara as Hitsugaya also added-"Yes, I found that strange that I couldn't sense his presence whatsoever, but you so clearly did hours before we even reached this depth in the crater, can you explain that, Soi Fon-taichou?" Soi Fon just stared like a hawk at Urahara for a few seconds, before turning her gaze back to where the twins were trying to pull their trapped Captain free, not answering the question at all. **So, she doesn't know why she could either?** Urahara wondered as he watched the now free Captain, all smiles despite his obviously bad injuries, his robes and Haori both a mess from whatever entities he had been forced to fight. "Ah, hey Urahara, Hitsugaya-!"-Yoshirou started to shout as he finally noticed their presence, before his voice suddenly stuck, noticing the chilling expression on Soi Fon's face.

Urahara almost laughed as he thought he saw the Captain suddenly sweating in a fear the others didn't notice from the brief look the woman had given him. However, even as Yoshirou recovered, trying to hide his sudden mistake from everybody else, Urahara suddenly realised something.** I already knew from Yoruichi that they were in a relation, but is there any way that this could correlate with how she could sense his presence?** Urahara mused as Yoshirou ran over to the three of them, brushing his 3rd Seats aside as he leapt over the rocks to reach them.

(Hueco Mundo)

The room was deathly quiet as always when Stark walked into the chamber, his shoes clacking off the floor, the noise echoing throughout as he went to meet his master. He wasn't sure what to expect, and in any case, he didn't really care, he just wanted to rest, there was too much that had happened today, too many thoughts running through his head, those that were important, and those that were not, he just wanted to sleep, give himself time to try and think straight. However, reporting to Aizen always came first, and so with a still confused mind, Stark's walk led him to the chamber with the throne at it's head. Just as he expected, there was the three Shinigami, waiting within as they always seemed to be. Stark half wondered sometimes was this the effect of Aizen's power over illusions, in creating the illusion that this room always had the three men watching over them always from the seat of power.

"So, you have returned successful, Stark."-Aizen called as Stark stopped, looking up towards the man's calm expression, his half smile ever present as he looked down upon the Primera, his words almost a question, but with his authority making it sound like an undeniable, cast iron fact that nobody would dare contend. Stark nodded, wincing slightly as his arm instinctively went to scratch his shaggy hair, the pain from the burns that littered his arms from his battle. "With all respects Aizen-sama, I just want to rest, I'm too tired to give you a good debriefing, surely Szayel would be a better man to ask?"-Stark asked the man who sat above him. Nearly instantly, he felt a presence beside him, Tosen suddenly stepping out of the air as he quietly stated-"You will not be disrespectful to our Lord Aizen"

"It is alright, Tosen, Stark fulfilled his objective remarkably, he has earned a rest at the least."-Aizen suddenly stated, surprising both Tosen and Stark. However, he suddenly looked down at Stark, his eyes seemingly piercing through Stark's own as he said finally-"Did anything unexpected happen? It would seem you returned a little later than expected; the young Lilynette seemed most…distraught." Stark almost reacted to the words, he knew exactly what Aizen was hinting by referring to Lilynette in the conversation. However, he kept his cool as he answered-"The Shinigami managed to stop the Caga Negacion, I returned late due to that." Aizen nodded slowly once, his eyes closing slowly as he accepted the fact before opening again, his mouth smiling once more as he finally asked-"I assume you managed to escape then?"

Stark froze. He wasn't sure whether Aizen was suggesting he knew what had transpired or not, and he wasn't sure how to answer. His thoughts still revolved to what the Captain had said, having shown mercy towards him, one of the Hollows that Shinigami had spent almost all of their existence trying to wipe out. An honest smile, words spoken that were impossible to have been false, a true belief of a Shinigami facing a Hollow

_You know, I think you and I might be more alike than I thought, perhaps if we hadn't been on opposing sides, we mightn't have had to be enemies, perhaps we could have been friends._

He could have easily told Aizen everything, that perhaps this Shinigami was merciful, that he had a blaring weakness in his honesty. In all rights, he should have, but that small, niggling instinct that had made him stop the Shinigami in the first place stopped him now. Instead, Stark shrugged as he answered-"I ran with my tail between my legs, the mission was over, and the situation was bad for me, so it would have been an unnecessary death if I had stayed."

This comment seemed to amuse Gin, who chuckled slightly, saying-"Ya know, tha's wha' I li' abou' our li'l Primera, blun' li' a hammer." Aizen simply smiled neutrally, before saying-"You are dismissed, I do believe young Lilynette will be glad to hear you made it back, you should hurry to her." Stark nodded stiffly, before exiting, his mind shouting what he wouldn't at himself, at why he had done what he just did, what good was hoping on something that stupid, and a million other arguments that he plainly ignored as he wondered whether he might get a good nights sleep or not. As he walked out, Aizen leaned back on his throne, tapping the air before him as the holographic video showed once more what had really transpired.

Gin watched him silently for a few seconds, before turning to leave. "Do you have something to ask, Gin?"-Aizen calmly said, his eyes not straying from the display before him. Gin stopped slowly, before noting-"Ya le' him off a li'l ligh'ly, consi'erin' he was lyin' t' ya." Aizen just smiled, answering-"Is a game not boring when everything is perfect? I wish to discover just what will happen if I let this play out, it is certainly a unique situation, call it an experiment." Gin raised his eyebrows slightly, before laughing, starting to walk away as he said-"Yo' one cruel guy, ya kno' tha'?"

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**Chapter over, hope you guys enjoyed reading. Now, first things first, this ability, Realm Destruction, is a bloodline ability, but unlike every other one, this is the only shown skill that comes from Yoshirou, not the zan, and it's the only one that's active and not passive, sorry if that causes any confusion. Also, for those who are confused, there is a definate reason why Soi Fon could sense Yoshirou's location, apt people who remember my first story may remember something that could have caused a link between the two of them, since something like going out with each other in no way would create a link like that, there had to be something else that caused it. For those who can't remember, don't worry I will explain next time. **

**Anyhow as always, read and review if you wish, reviews both inspire and motivate so it's really nice to get some, even critical checks are good since it helps me improve my writing style, and with that, see ya all next time!**

**(1) Once again, all theories aren't necessarily accurate, and the five include Ulquiorra as well as the initial four.**

**(2) Realm Destruction- (Special ability) This technique is one of Yoshirou's unique abilities, Yoshirou perception-What he believes is this ability siphons the light that fuels Caga Negacions boundary effect, neutralising the field of energy and therefore negating the Negacion. He named it Realm Destruction because it is the only ability known in existence that can reach the realm created through Negacion.**

**However, just to let you in on the little secret, Yoshirou is wrong about this, this is not the final description for this skill.**

**(3) I'm sorry, I really can no longer remember whether I gave the Scimitar blade to Haneko or the Long sword, one of them had a Scimitar Shikai, while the other used a western Long sword for a Shikai. Both quite unique (the western sword more so), but I just can't remember for the life of me which one got what, I'm pretty sure I associated fire with the Scimitar, but I'm sorry if I'm remembering wrongly.**

**(4)Intoxicate-Hunting Spike. This is the name I gave Baltasar's zanpakuto, yeah it kinda sucks, but it's meant to represent intoxication with power, while the Hunting Spike represents the weapon and his own bloodthirsty nature.**


	34. Chapter 32

**GODDAMMIT! You wouldn't believe how many hours it took to get some of these paragraphs out, you can probably guess which ones, I am not an emotions person, so writing emotionally is incredibly difficult for me, but I have a feeling my story would be missing something if I didn't, so I tried my best, hopefully I didn't mess it up. This was actually meant to go up yesterday, but due to exhaustion from bad sleeping, I fell asleep at the comp XP, that and I missed my lecture today, so i'm gonna receive an ass kicking when I get back, ah well. Hope you enjoy the chapter, it was a tad rushed so sorry if some of it is confusing, anyhow read on!**

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"….and that's about it, I guess."-Yoshirou summarised, pulling slightly on one of the bandages that criss crossed his body, the top half of his body bare so the destroyed robes and Haori wouldn't put pressure on the wounds. Yoshirou was sitting neatly on one of the many cushions that were kept within the Urahara store, a mug of tea in his other hand, Hitsugaya and Urahara also seated nearby as they finished listening to his long report. After they had managed to "rescue" Yoshirou, Urahara had insisted that they return to his store before he would hear a word of Yoshirou's tale, Hitsugaya agreeing mostly out of curiosity. After the Relief squad and the team from the Kido Corps had been dismissed, the three of them quickly relocated to the Urahara store.

However, the telling had been delayed further after Tessai had gotten a look at Yoshirou's condition. Despite numerous attempts to placate the giant man, and numerous yelps as said giant man forcibly restrained him, Yoshirou had nearly ended up head to toe in bandages, a near mummified body which had Jinta laughing non stop for nearly half an hour. Luckily, since Renji wasn't present, having gone to visit the recuperating Kurosaki, there was no one to overhear the conversation of the top secret mission. Besides one other person, a person that was still standing despite the availability of seats, obviously not happy about being forced to follow the three into the abode of the man she disliked the most, listening quietly as she tried not to look about in distaste at the hovel she had been forced to step into to follow Yoshirou.

"Hmm, I have to say it's a difficult story to swallow, had it not been you who was telling it. Hollow, Gillian, Adjuchas, Arrancar and even Espada, you've had a busy day."-Urahara noted as he took a sip of tea as well, watching Yoshirou closely as the latter laughed slightly at the comment, answering-"Yep, there was a lot of the latter, it was surprising just seeing two Adjuchas at one time, their rare enough in the real world, thirty Gillian just really overdid it." Urahara nodded slightly, considering his words from what he had learnt already. Ignoring this, Hitsugaya noted-"There's something off though, there were three Caga Negacion that we saw when we approached the location. Even with your extensive report, you still only mentioned two, so what was the third?"

Yoshirou frowned slightly at the question, answering-"I'm guessing he was meant to be the so called mastermind of the whole operation, he didn't directly confront me like the other Espada, although the one I thought said something that made me think there was another Espada present, I didn't really have a chance to search with what happened following our encounter." Urahara nodded at the response before Hitsugaya could question further, noting-"No doubt he was a brains type, keeping his distance and controlling the entire…trap I guess you would call it? Anyway, I'm more worried about this Espada you did confront rather than this one that kept to the shadows."

Yoshirou nodded slightly, taking another sip from his mug before answering-"He called himself Stark, although he didn't give me a number, there's no doubt he's more powerful than any of the Espada I have seen or have been recorded to date, so he's somewhere within the top four if we take that Grimmjow Espada to be six as he claims, and that he was stronger than the records for that Ulquiorra, which means he wont be number five." His face hidden behind his fan once more, Urahara frowned slightly as he said-"This will be a problem if he was only the fourth, there's no telling whether there are more powerful ones or not, no doubt he was told to conceal his number for this reason alone."

Yoshirou nodded in agreement with Urahara, but said no more on the matter, the air in the room taking a more sombre tone as they considered the situation. "…well, thinking about this will only waste time, so, lets try another question."-Urahara suddenly said, causing Yoshirou to pay attention again, eager to find a way to break the current mood. With a quick flick of his wrist, Urahara's fan snapped shut, before being pointed at Yoshirou, Urahara suddenly saying-"You didn't quite explain why you failed to escape this…nest? Sorry, I dislike the term, lets refer to it as what it was, a compound… anyway, you have yet to explain why you became trapped."

Yoshirou's eyes widened fractionally in surprise at the sudden challenge, the other two Captains also now looking at him in interest as the Captain was put on the spot, Urahara's fan opening once more to hide his expression, his eyes watching seriously as he waited for the answer. Recovering from the surprise quickly, Yoshirou smiled slightly at the question, as he answered-"I wanted to make sure we got something out of this mission since I failed to defeat the Espada I faced." Urahara kept silent at this comment as Yoshirou paused, pawing at his robes as he tried to find something. Urahara knew from Yoshirou's disposition that there was no way he had been defeated or failed to do anything, the captain was too easy to read, there was something he was hiding.

Judging from the other two captains expressions, he knew they felt the same, but out of respect for Yoshirou, none of the three questioned it. "Dammit…."-Yoshirou growled quietly in frustration as he tried to find it, before his eyes suddenly changed colour, for a tiny fraction of time. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow slightly as he noticed the change, but everybody else knew about Yoshirou's innate ability to communicate to his Zanpakuto without the need for Zenkai, although Urahara was suspicious as to why he was doing so now, the only answer being that he took the connection he had very lightly and was actually asking the Zanpakuto for the location of what he searched for. He almost shook his head in disbelief as Yoshirou's eyes lit up with new knowledge, before he lifted his Haori from nearby, extracting something from within the folds of the charred uniform.

However, Urahara's turn came when his eyes also lit up, now from excitement as his fan strayed from before his face, forgotten as he got a good look at what Yoshirou now held in his hand. "Well, that beyond a doubt confirms this operation was a serious one."-Hitsugaya stated coldly as he eyed the disc that was in Yoshirou's hands. Yoshirou nodded slightly as he said-"When I was fighting that last Arrancar, we ended up crashing into this room that was completely filled with computer monitors. Whatever they were, the Arrancar tried prioritising obliterating the computers with a cero rather than run from it to save his own life, so whatever's on there must have been important." Urahara held out a hand to receive the disk, curious as to what he would find, before retracting his hand, realising a simple fact with disappointment. "We don't have the kind of equipment here to read that disc, since it could easily have a virus or worse, a transmitting program hidden among the data, only the equipment in the technological bureau could read that disc."-Urahara said in a slightly disheartened tone.

"Hard choice, leave it in the hands of one snake or the other."-Soi Fon noted dryly from where she stood, earning a stern look from Tessai. However, Urahara waved his fan in her direction amicably as he neutrally answered-"Aren't all who seek greater knowledge more or less snakes searching for an opportunity to learn?" Soi Fon ignored him, pulling a strange face instead, seemingly wincing. Tessai noticed the expression, asking-"Are you injured, miss?" Urahara noticed Yoshirou's head swing almost at breakneck speed as he looked up at the Captain, Soi Fon merely smirking as she said-"Hardly." However, she was betrayed as Hitsugaya said-"Don't lie, while I cannot make you seek medical help, you did take a severe blow while you were fighting that Espada-"

_Crack!_

All the heads in the room spun towards Yoshirou, his face also surprise, looking down at the now shattered mug that was in his hand, now soaked in scolding hot tea. Urahara sighed slightly as he looked at the now spreading mess on the floor, wondering how he would get the marks that was going to cause out of the tatami mats. As Yoshirou apologized, making excuses as he picked up what parts of the mug hadn't been grinded into powder by his grip, Tessai's massive head swung back towards Soi Fon, his eyes lit with a strange light as he said-"That will not do miss, we must see to the injuries!"

Having seen exactly what happened when Tessai got *that light* in his eyes only a while ago, Soi Fon surprisingly managed to keep composed, instead giving a look that would he frightened an animal as she stated-"The injury isn't bad, it can wait until I return to Soul Society." Even Hitsugaya felt like he was being subdued by that look as Tessai took the full brunt of the glare. However, he resisted, swinging his head side to side as he started to stand up, stating-"That will not do! We must sort the problem out now!" As he stood up, Urahara almost laughed as the giant faced the diminutive Captain, although he wasn't fully sure who would win if he did try to subdue such an unwilling Captain. As he realised the fact, he realised he may have to get ready to repair the Urahara Store extensively.

However, the issue was sorted instantly, the air displaced as Yoshirou moved into Shunpo, standing between Tessai and Soi Fon, although he was looking down at Soi Fon, not necessarily stopping Tessai. "I agree with Tessai, if you're injured, it has to be sorted quickly."-Yoshirou stated as he looked down at Soi Fon, now receiving the full force of the death glare from the quickly getting irritated Captain. After a few seconds, Yoshirou simply said-"Either you can let me sort it for you, or I'm going to let Tessai try and sort it, and just look at my condition now, you don't want him to try." Realising she wasn't going to get out of it so easily, Soi Fon shrugged, stating-"Just do it quickly." Yoshirou nodded, glancing over at Urahara as he asked-"Do you have a spare room empty right now?"

He felt tempted to make a pun about what Yoshirou was asking, but after remembering what had happened to the mug only seconds before, Urahara took the safer option of responding-"Two doors down the hall, just try to avoid any of Tessai-san's belongings." With a curt nod, Yoshirou carefully ushered the still annoyed Captain out of the room, ignoring the disappointed look on his mentor who had lost the opportunity to do something interesting. As the partition door slid shut behind them, Hitsugaya sighed in annoyance, before turning his piercing gaze on Urahara again, asking bluntly-"So, your opinion on what happened today?"

Another snap as Urahara quickly closed his fan, he leaned back on his cushion, breathing out slowly before saying-"In all honesty, I simply don't know. There's still too many unexplained things, nothing here seemed to have much purpose. The simple facts, while easily explained, don't seem to have any common link that is the answer. The simple facts are, Karakura town came under attack. Specific targets were made this time, the Espada we encountered directly engaged us, while one of them departed to engage Kurosaki-san as well. At first, this would suggest they were stopping us from coming to Kurosaki's aid, and were attempting to take his life."

"At the same time, another trap was enacted, deliberately luring Soul Society into delivering the Kido Corps Captain straight into the enemies lair. Once again, this suggests that they were trying to eliminate Yoshirou-san without us being able to interfere." Hitsugaya nodded at the explanation, already having come to that deduction as well. "But…"-Urahara continued-"The enemy retreated without taking either persons life, or even succeeding in defeating any of the relief squad. This suggests a couple of different scenarios." As he said this, Urahara raised a single finger to emphasize his point.

"Scenario 1: We had proved unexpectedly too strong to be defeated, and they were forced to give up on their objectives. There is a lot of evidence for this, since I know that Kurosaki was saved by his colleagues, and the young Captain and my own venerable self arrived to aid in helping the Relief Squad. Yoshirou-san has also explosively improved since the last time the enemy confronted him, in his report, he seemed to prove a match for this new, more powerful Espada. It could be that rather than risk losing his own forces, Aizen pulled them out of Karakura Town."

Raising a second finger now, Urahara continued-"Scenario 2: This was a test to discover what the limits of our defensive capabilities were, and to test the continuing improvement from the Kido Corps Captain and Kurosaki-san. Once again, there is proof in that when the initial force attacked us, they singled out Kurosaki as a target, and sent one Espada to confront him. Also, in Yoshirou's report, there was a mastermind personally present within the compound he was in. If it was all set up as a laboratory, like rats in a maze, then it could have all been one test to pitch the strongest they have against the strongest we have."

Hitsugaya nodded once again at this, saying-"I agree, it's hard to tell-" However, he stopped as Urahara smiled slightly, before raising a third finger. Surprised that there was another possible scenario, Hitsugaya decided to stop instantly, instead willing to hear out the last scenario. No longer interrupted, Urahara finally said-"Scenario 3: This was all one, massive diversion."

(P.O.V change)

"Why on earth did you not tell me you had been injured too."-Yoshirou muttered as he lightly placed his hands on the Captains torso, concentrating as his hands glowed with it's distinctive golden aura, using his own reiatsu to suppress the pain within the Captains body as he focused on determining the full extent of the damage. Shifting uncomfortably, Soi Fon simply replied-"It was hardly life threatening or one that would impair my actions, I could get it seen to when I returned to Soul Society."

"One…two…three…for gods sake, three broken ribs, where do you get off warning me not to do anything stupid, then getting this badly injured!"-Yoshirou muttered again as he focused his reiatsu onto the injuries, stopping the pain and relieving the tension in the nearby muscles as his reiatsu started to realign the damaged bones. The effect immediate as he noticed Soi Fon's breathing becoming easier, having not noticed how she had been breathing erratically the entire time since he had been so focused on what had just happened. "Your hardly in the place to be patronising me, I saw had badly injured you were when Tessai pulled your robes of your torso, I thought you had promised not to do anything stupid either."

Yoshirou was about to say something in his defence, but stopped himself, remembering that she had come into the human world to try and help him in the first place. before saying-"Fair enough, today was an exception anyway with what happened, but you still should have told me, I could have healed this easily, there was no need to go about in pain like this!" Soi Fon's expression tightened at his almost piteous tone, before sharply saying-"It was more important that everyone was debriefed about the situation immediately, rather than wasting time sorting something of this level." Yoshirou shook his head slightly, before saying softly-"You hardly think making a report is more important to me than knowing your in pain do you?"

Now it was Soi Fons turn to stop herself from another sharp retort, her expression softening as she felt his concern for her. For the next few minutes, the room fell silent, their words already spent as Yoshirou focused solely on healing her damaged body.

(P.O.V change)

"Leaving already Hitsugaya-san?"-Urahara asked as Hitsugaya stood, taking his sheathed sword from the wall nearby as he manoeuvred the sash over his Haori. Nodding curtly, Hitsugaya said-"What you said is rather disconcerting, I need to report it immediately to the Sou Taichou, alongside reporting on the others behalf as well." Urahara nodded as he watched Hitsugaya head for the partition door, before smiling slightly at Hitsugaya's words, noting-"Well well, you seem to have a flexible side as well, Hitsugaya-san, I'm surprised, I thought you were more the rules and regulations type." Hitsugaya shrugged, not turning as he headed for the door, just saying-"I suppose they both need their rest too, I'll only be reporting on their behalf, nothing more." Urahara smiled wryly as the white haired boy left the room through the second exit, already vanishing into air as he shunpo'd out through the open store doors.

Beside him, Tessai turned now to face him, his face serious as he said-"Tenshou…" Urahara nodded slightly as he replied-"Indeed, I have a feeling the situation is worse than we thought, the one thing I dislike the most is not knowing something, and Aizen has gotten far too good at concealing his movements, there's no doubt we still have yet to see the end of today's events."

(P.O.V change)

As Soi Fon carefully put her arms back through her Haori's sleeves, Yoshirou stretched his back nearby, trying to get his own tired muscles to work again after having spent so much reiatsu trying to completely heal the damage in the Captains body, not leaving even the slightest mark on the Captains skin anymore. **Forgot healing other people takes so much more than healing myself** Yoshirou thought in surprise as he gauged what Reiatsu he still had left to use. As he did this, he suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Soi, how did you guys manage to find me?"-Yoshirou asked curiously as Soi Fon struggled with pulling one of the sleeves along her arm. However, he jumped slightly when she froze, turning her head sharply towards him, her face slightly red as she sharply said-"Did you just shorten my name?" **Whoops** Yoshirou thought as he realized his mistake, afraid that he had just struck a particular nerve with the Captain, hesitantly asking-"Is…that a problem?" Soi Fon seemed to consider what he said for a second, before turning her head away, muttering-"It was just surprising…normally only Yoruichi would have done that…" Yoshirou paused, slightly confused by the reply, before asking-"So, I shouldn't do it?" There was another pause between the two of them, Soi Fon facing away from him, before she suddenly rapidly started pulling her sleeve taught again.

Rather than answer the second question, she instead replied-"I managed to somehow sense your reiatsu underneath the rubble, and the relief team started to try and pull the rubble away, took a few hours, but eventually you punched the last rock out yourself." Yoshirou paused as he considered what this meant. **I wasn't able to barely use any reiatsu while I was trapped in this rocks, I had to physically dig my way out until I got close enough to the surface to use my reiatsu where the rocks were less bundled, how on earth could she have sensed my reiatsu from there?** "That shouldn't have been possible, I wasn't able to even use my own reiatsu when I was trapped deep in the ground, my reiatsu would have never managed to escape as far as the surface…"-Yoshirou noted, frowning as he considered how it was even possible.

Soi Fon only shrugged, still not turning to face him for some reason, just saying-"It didn't feel like it usually does when you track reiatsu, I could just feel your presence down underground, it was almost an unconscious sense rather than me trying to find you." What? Yoshirou wondered, trying to figure out what it meant. How can she just find my presence like that when I couldn't even get Reiatsu to escape from around my body? Confused, Yoshirou could only think of one thing, there had to be some kind of link that allowed her to find him. "So Fon, can you tell me if you can sense my presence right now?"-Yoshirou asked, deciding to test something. He could see Soi Fon's head turn slightly, before she answered-"Easily."

**Taiyou, can you suppress my reiatsu as much as you can?** Yoshirou asked as he started to bring his power completely under reign, not letting the smallest amount escape his body.

_It shouldn't be too hard to mask your reiatsu, but why?_

**Just a hunch** Yoshirou thought as he felt the effects take control, the pain in his body returning as the effects of suppressing his pain stopped. **Jeez, I really did take a beating…** Yoshirou realised as he winced, looking down as red started to stain his bandages where the Espada's sword had stabbed into his stomach. Best be quick then. "How about now?"-Yoshirou asked, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep his voice straight, not letting on the pain he could now feel. Soi Fon surprised him however, just saying-"Same as before, although something feels wrong now, feels painful to sense, what are you doing exactly?"

**What!** Yoshirou thought, his eyes widening with shock as he stopped his attempts to mask his reiatsu, the pain lessening again as Taiyou started repressing his wounds once more. **She could feel my presence despite the fact that I was masking it totally, and could even tell I was in pain? What is this? **

_Isn't it any different to how you sense presences?_

**Well now you say it, no, but I never knew anybody else could sense presences the same way I could, she never could before, or she would have found me when she attacked me and I managed to escape from her during that time a couple of months ago (1), has she learnt how to use it since?**

_But I thought that was a power that was granted from your bloodline abilities?_

"Why did you suddenly go silen-… your wounds have opened up."-Soi Fon noted as she finally turned about to face him, her expression back to normal except for the slight surprise as she looked at the red stain that covered his bandages from his stomach. Shaking his head, Yoshirou said-"It's fine, their sealed again now, but, have you been training your ability to sense presences recently?" Soi Fon raised an eyebrow sceptically as she asked-"Why would I need to train something like that?" Yoshirou just looked at her blankly in confusion for a second, before shaking his head again. "Well, I would have been in more trouble if you hadn't managed to find me, so I should be grateful, regardless of how strange it is you could sense me that easily."-Yoshirou relented. Soi Fon smiled wryly as she answered-"It looked like you would have escaped anyway, I really shouldn't have worried in the first place."

**Worried?** Yoshirou thought as he raised an eyebrow at her words. Soi Fon seemed to realise her mistake as she sharply looked away again, hiding her face from view as she quickly said-"Worried that you had failed to complete the mission! After all, we had no idea what had transpired, and you were the only person who could report back accurately and all…" Yoshirou smiled slightly at the attempt to cover up her mistake, obviously uncomfortable with telling her real feelings to him. On impulse, he walked over to the diminutive Captain, softly putting his arms around her in an embrace. As the woman stiffened in surprise from the sudden contact, Yoshirou had one moment of suddenly realising he could be about to get thrown away for doing something so suddenly, but she relaxed in his arms, slowly raising one of her own to touch his bandaged hand, looking down as she quietly said-"Do you really have to go out of your way to make me worry like this?"

"Sorry, I keep forgetting that my life isn't only important to me, same as yours isn't only to you, I'll do my best to be strong enough that you won't have to worry again."-Yoshirou reassured her, despite his own face burning slightly from saying such words, holding the person he directed those words to softly in his arms. The two Captains stood silently like this for a few moments, lost in the moment, before Soi Fon pulled away from him, breaking the moment, face flushed again as she realised what had just happened. "Well, it's about time to return to Soul Society anyway, I'll be leaving ahead of you."-Soi Fon quickly muttered as she made a beeline for the door, leaving Yoshirou where he was as she quickly pulled the door open.

Slightly disappointed, Yoshirou's arms fell to his side as he watched the Captain start to disappear, however Soi Fon suddenly paused at the door, her back to him, only showing the emblazoned sigil on her Haori. Curious, Yoshirou waited to hear what else she had to say, before being surprised as she nearly barked out-"About what you asked earlier." Snapping to attention, unsure about which question she was referring to, Yoshirou answered-"Yes?" There was another pause for a few more seconds, before Soi Fon muttered-"I…don't mind you using that name." Before he even had time to register her words, she was already gone, vanishing at amazing speed.

Yoshirou couldn't help but smile gratefully even though there was no one there to see it, glad that at least some things he could count on to be enjoyable. Chuckling to himself, he started to untie his own bandages, determined to not walk about a walking mummy any longer and just finish the healing process with his own skills. However, he was interrupted by a small body pushing past his leg as he tried to undo a particularly annoying knot. Sighing to himself, he said-"Do you ever have anybody other than me to annoy, Yoruichi?" A rather masculine chuckle for the woman he knew he was addressing confirmed his suspicion as the cat form of Yoruichi leapt up on the nearby dresser, obviously already preparing whatever she was about to torture him with.

Turning about a couple of times on the dresser before she had found herself a nice spot, pushing random, rather delicate looking items that fell to the floor with ominous clangs and crashes from the top, Yoruichi sat down, yawning in a very cat like style as she regarded her target for annoyance. "Well well, seems Tessai has already done his work to you."-Yoruichi noted as Yoshirou continued undoing the bandages, no longer really caring about her presence even if she was a woman. "I think he might actually enjoy tying people up, although that wouldn't really surprise me with Tessai."-Yoshirou mumbled, teeth clenched about one bandage as he tried to undo the rather confusing knot above his shoulder.

"And here you are putting all of his efforts to waste, tsk tsk."-Yoruichi noted as Yoshirou finally managed to undo the bandage, the material unravelling rapidly as it fell from his arm, Yoruichi's cat eyes widening slightly in surprise more at the lack of wounds considering the condition he had been earlier, his enhanced regeneration already starting to heal the majority of the nicks and cuts only hours after the life and deaths struggle he had been in, only the deeper, more serious looking wounds remaining. Ignoring the cat, Yoshirou focused his reiatsu back into his hands once more, glowing golden as he tapped into his own reiatsu reserves, already using his own variation of the healing spell than the traditional green reiatsu that should have come with normal healing spells. Before their eyes, the wounds were already reacting, starting to slowly close as he focused upon the minor wounds, the flesh literally re-knitting itself before their eyes at a rapid rate.

"That's unnatural, that level of speed in healing, doesn't it affect your body at all?"-Yoruichi asked, her task of annoying him put aside out of curiosity of what she was watching. Yoshirou shook his head as he moved onto the next wound, only mumbling-"Itches like crazy unless I cut the sensations to the wound first, but isn't that normal for healing injuries?" Yoruichi seemed to accept the answer as Yoshirou continued his work, although he seemed to give up after healing the one arm, muttering-"The rest can wait, I've used up too much reiatsu for today."

"So, was that our little Soi who shot out of here like a bullet from gun a few seconds ago?"-Yoruichi asked innocently in her male voice, although Yoshirou already knew that this was just the start of the trial that he was about to go through. Retying his bandage rapidly, Yoshirou answered roughly-"So what if it was?" Yoruichi yawned once again, stretching out atop the counter and knocking more experimental items to the floor as she said-"She seemed awful quick to get out of here, you didn't try anything, did you?" Instantly, Yoshirou's face lit up like a Christmas tree, spluttering back-"There's no way I'd do anything like that!"

Yoruichi sighed almost disappointedly as she answered-"It's actually worse that I can believe those words without a doubt than if I couldn't, your really still stuck at feeling embarrassed from hugging her? Slow or what." "Shut it."-Yoshirou growled in response, pulling more tighter on his bandage than he had planned in his annoyance, and having to quickly undo the knot before he completely cut off his arm's blood circulation. Stretching out languidly, Yoruichi leapt back to the floor, saying-"I really wonder was it only by chance you managed to get Soi interested in you? You certainly have zero experience with girls." Growling at her disapproving tone, Yoshirou retorted-"I do have experience with women thank you, I was quite popular back in the academy!"

Despite having a face of a cat, Yoshirou was perfectly sure he saw that cat face raise a non existent eyebrow sceptically at him, before asking-"Really, what base did you get up to with any of them?" Yoshirou's voice stuck in his throat, his pride as a man unable to admit he had never even gotten to first base, since he was never interested in any of the girls who had dated him in the academy, just going along with it to not hurt the persons feelings. Instead, he lied, answering-"Second base." Yoruichi laughed out loud in her gruff tone, before answering-"I don't count." Yoshirou could only look at her dumbly in confusion, before the memory of what had happened two months ago came back, causing him to jump back in shock, and nearly trip himself over.

"Really disappointing, your list of conquests only amounts to that alone? Two hundred years, and all you can claim is one accidental grope? You got a lot of hard work to come then."-Yoruichi noted, not caring whatsoever that the supposed Captain of Soul Society was seriously weighing up the options of kicking her cat like form out of the room. Deciding it wasn't worth the risk of her transforming and breaking some of his bones in return, Yoshirou turned away from the cat, finishing fixing the last piece of cloth in place as he bent to scoop up his Haori from the ground. However, he was glad he had decided to turn away when a face appeared beside his, Yoruichi obviously having transformed without warning, her slender arms already reaching about him as she seductively asked-"Do you need me to teach you?"

However, before she could grab him for a reaction, Yoshirou was already in the doorway, Yoruichi's arms going through a fading image of him as he spluttered-"Will you ever give it a rest!", disappearing into the corridor to hide his blazing face. Yoruichi pouted disappointedly at his vanishing trick, even though she admired how easily he had been able to escape, a marked improvement in his speed since the last time they had sparred. "Still, I don't think there's going to be progress between those two any time this century unless he gets his act together, I'll have to talk to Soi again or nothings going to happen."-Yoruichi murmured, a mischievous smile on her face as she considered what she would do next, walking out of the room despite her still nude condition, ignoring the trail of destruction she had left among the so called *Tessai's belongings*, which now comprised of a mass of smashed objects on the floor.

"Leaving so early, Yoshirou-san?"-Urahara asked as he saw the red faced Captain practically run into the room, pulling on his Haori clumsily despite the numerous bandages that covered him as he made a beeline for the partition door that led to the store-"Did something happen?". Yoshirou only glanced over his shoulder as he answered-"Try asking her!" Urahara looked about to whatever he was referring to, catching sight of the still nude Yoruichi in the hallway, before turning back to Yoshirou, his fan covering his expression even though his eyes shone with glee, innocently asking Yoshirou-"Like I said, did anything happen?"

No answer was forthcoming, as Yoshirou had already vanished into the store, obviously intent on making his return to Soul Society while he still had a shred of restraint left, trying his best to resist the urge to set fire to the store before he left. Urahara smiled to himself, snapping the fan shut as he called back over his shoulder-"You know, it really isn't fair to keep picking on the poor kid." A distant answer replied-"Maybe, but it is fun." causing Urahara to chortle slightly, his mood gratefully lifted from the dark thoughts that had been going around regarding just what had happened that day. At least that's what it had been, as he was nearly knocked forward in shock, holding onto his hat for in case it toppled off as he heard the might roar of anguish as Tessai discovered the state of his room.

(P.O.V change)

"Damn werecat…"-Yoshirou grumbled to himself as he finished his shunpo step, determined to quickly put a gap between himself and the mischievous woman as soon as he could. **Is it that much fun to annoy me?**

_Well, you do tend to overreact to just about anything._

**Well thanks for telling me this now** Yoshirou growled internally as he heard his zanpakuto laugh within his thoughts again. Ignoring this, he decided to focus on the task at hand, drawing his zanpakuto as he prepared to open the Senkaimon.

_You know, I've been thinking about what happened earlier today, with Soi Fon being able to sense your presence._

**You have? Any idea's then?** Yoshirou wondered as he paused, halfway through the motion of stabbing his zanpakuto forward, interested in hearing his zanpakuto's thoughts.

_Is it possible she has developed this power from over contact with you?_

**What do you mean? Shinigami powers can't affect each other, spiritual make ups are too different for that to happen, and we haven't been in contact THAT much.**

_Maybe, but what about when you were helping her with the Kido training?_

**Huh?** Yoshirou wondered as he tried to think back. Even though it was two months ago, he could remember each and every session he had been in with her surprisingly clearly, dating back for several weeks as he had been forced to watch the agonisingly slow progress for the Captain. **It wouldn't have been surprising for the training to have lasted a year longer at the rate she had been progressing, had it not been for the Ryoka invasion, I suppose that's how long we would have been at it.**

_Focus, do you remember when you actively tried to awaken her abilities yourself?_

Yoshirou didn't even need to think now, that memory was one of the few crystal clear ones that he wouldn't forget, that strange feeling when his attempt to link into her abilities somehow encompassed both of their thoughts melding, almost the feeling of there being one soul the same instead of two**. Yeah, that was pretty strange, didn't expect what happened to…wait, are you saying their connected? Her developing that skill is connected to what happened then?**

_It's only a thought, but possibly you left an accidental connection during that…experience, it's not possible to say that what you did would have no side effects, after all have you ever heard of a situation where two Shinigami were able to read another's thoughts?_

**So, you think this happened when I connected to…her Soul? Is it even possible to do that? I certainly don't know anything else to call what happened during the transfer.**

_Well, you could always reach into the inner world of another individual, whose to say you couldn't directly meld your Soul with another persons Soul?_

**Whoa, time out, what your suggesting is mind blowing, I don't even want to consider that it could be possible such an ability exists, let alone be one I can use!** Yoshirou shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Such an ability should have been impossible, defined by far too many iron clad rules about the makeup of individuals souls.

_Well, it's not all that important I suppose, but it could explain why she developed such an ability._

Yoshirou finished shaking his head, wiping a hand across his face, pausing for a second, before asking **So, do you think it's the same ability as mine she's developed?**

_Actually, no._

**Oh, what now…** Yoshirou thought wearily, has head already shaken from too many thoughts at once.

_Your senses couldn't pierce the rocks that had you trapped underground, but she managed to find you through that, is it possible she has developed a direct link to you?_

**A Soul Link? (1) I thought those only existed in born Shinigami twins? I know Haneko and Tanshou have a variation of the Soul Link, but it's not possible for two who weren't born at the same time to have one, since you need…oh…**

_Yes, you need one Soul split in two to create the link, if you managed to, no matter how temporarily, merge your Soul with hers, then it could create one when you separated, right?_

**But how come I didn't notice this before now?**

_I don't know, but I know I can sense her presence now._

**Yeah, of course you could, she-**

_She's in Soul Society._

Yoshirou's thoughts froze as he considered what his Zanpakuto just told him. Opening his own senses, he realized she was right. As he closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts inward, he literally painted his senses with light, each presence he could sense becoming a light that he could feel within his mind. There were millions of them; all about him the inhabitants of the Human Realm crowded his mind with their tiny fragments of reiatsu that spread all across Karakura Town, alongside the small flames from other Shinigami, and several particularly large blazing fires from the more powerful inhabitants of Karakura Town. However, he could sense one, far away from the others, further than any other that he could sense, far surpassing what should have been his normal sensing distance, much more familiar, yet also different, somehow masked, it's location not one that could be identified within the Human Realm.

**I don't believe it, I can actually sense her presence from another dimension? So Haneko wasn't joking when he told me it was possible between him and his brother.** His mind ablaze with this new information, he started to close his senses down, returning to his body, before something struck him as strange. **Millions?**

Yoshirou knew that Karakura Town was a particularly impressive sized location, holding a lot of inhabitants, but that number didn't reach into the millions. Returning to his mindscape of lights, his eyes perceived the lights that were all about him. **There's far too many! What's going on!** Yoshirou realized with shock as he looked at all of the miniscule sparks of light, painting the darkness of his mind like stars. Focusing harder, he started to go through the nearby points of light, his internal senses brushing lightly against each spark, trying to figure out what was going on. It didn't take long to find the answer, his eyes snapping open in surprise.

"They feel the same…"-Yoshirou whispered with confusion. Among the couple that he had brushed upon, there were a few that felt differently, humans that enjoyed their peace within their homes, ignorant of the world of the Shinigami and Hollow that was about them. However, the majority of them felt identical, and what's more, although they seemed human, he could feel only the tiniest traces of emotion or thought from any of them, he wouldn't be able to recognise them at all. **What does this mean? Why are there so many souls here?**

_Their not souls, not with that little emotion, it has to be reiatsu sources._

**Reiatsu? But it's so weak, are you sure their not humans?**

_Look, the concentration of the foreign reiatsu are more focused at one location, one that's moving._

**Is something emitting these reiatsu sources then?**

_Probably, whatever is at the centre of those reiatsu sources must be._

Yoshirou frowned as he considered his options. This was clearly out of his field of expertise, whatever this phenomona was, from what he could sense, it wasn't a Hollow or Shinigami, it definitely felt human**. I suppose I had best check it out before I report it in, since I don't know how the hell I would report this situation** Yoshirou summarised as he returned to his inner mindscape, now determined to find the source that he could locate all of them from. **Beside the river?** Yoshirou wondered as he turned his head towards the distance, fortunately able to see the river already from his location. Using his enhanced senses, he tried to see if he could visually see whatever the source was, his sight focusing upon the distant landscape like a hawk's sight.

However, whatever was there eluded his sight, nothing but a river reflecting the moonlight could be seen in the distance. **Okay, definitely creepy, I can't sense it right, I can't see it there** Yoshirou thought as he turned, already tensing his knee's as he leapt up into the sky, drawing the reishi to him as he created a platform beneath him, once again trying to get a clearer look at the river. However, whatever it was he hoped to find, it still eluded him. Frowning, disliking the situation he was in, Yoshirou leapt forward, flying through the air as he headed towards whatever the mysterious source of the reiatsu he could sense was.

* * *

**Chapter over! Sorry about how confusing I made the whole Soul Link thing in the story, after all it's not just confusing to you, it's meant to be confusing to him as well, since he has no clue what it was to begin with. Hopefully I did alright this time, and I left something interesting at the end. It sounds like something new, but those who know the timeline of Bleach may be able to recognise something that matches up, the night after the incursion, and the target is beside the river, recognisable?**

**It's meant to sound vague because it is for now vague, but the reasons why will be cleared up next chapter in the next little confrontation. No, don't expect fights, sorry but what happened in Bleach has to be continuous or the storyline will fly out the window, this is only going to be short confrontation, before we get back to the filler that I have to invent for continuality (I can't skip sections, sorry, story will make less sense, Yoshirou will not be joining Ichigo's rescue team, as a Captain of Soul Society, there is no way in hell he can, although I do have plans for him to join the Captain team who enter Hueco Mundo, don't worry, through certain already planned plot twists, Yoshirou will be present for the first half of the Captains incursion into Hueco Mundo and then return ahead of Ichigo for the second half of the Gotei 13 vs Espada)**

**Anyhow, that's all stuff in the (far) future, so don't worry about it, for now, read, enjoy, please review (always liked!) and we shall meet in the next chapter (with luck, within the week)**

**(1) Before people question my work, there is actually precedent such an ability exists, Tatsuki could sense Inoue's presence no matter where she was after she developed her own spiritual powers, even across different dimensions, so I am allowed to use this as an ability without going too far into crazy land.**

(Some time later)


	35. Chapter 33

**Well, not the easiest of chapters to write, doing the point of view for a girl like Inoue is so god damn difficult, sorry if the way she acts here seems OOC, I did the best I could with my (very) limited ability. This is actually one of two chapters that I had written, I had planned that this event would happen, but the way it went would have been differently originally, with Yoshirou unable to do anything at all. However, I finally decided to redo the ending and have Yoshirou at least try to intervene in the situation.**

**BTW, I decided that Chapter 34 is going to be dedicated to the anonymous reviewers Kishi and Marc, who throughout have been constant supporters for me with the reviews and feedback they have constantly been giving me (although i'm not sure whether Kishi has returned to reading since the hiatus or not, oh well). Like I said, I had one original plan, but I decided to redo it, so everything that happens after Inoue whispers "I'm sorry" and what happens in Chapter 34 is dedicated to these two for their continued support (I may even write another snapshot of the Bankai, a better one than when it was with Stark).**

**Anyhow, worked hard on this chapter in my free time so I could keep my word of getting it up within the week, hope everyone enjoys!**

**UPDATE:Dang almost forgot, welcome to Wizle and SnowCrystal! Also, who read the Story in the Clouds chapter? I had actually forgotten I had written that little chapter lol, if I see any more interest in it, I might try to continue it, but no expectations please, I have enough on my hands with this story and Uni.**

* * *

Yoshirou frowned as he jumped through the sky, the towns lights twinkling below him as he leapt through the air, his eyes closed as he focused his thoughts inwards, mapping the town within his own senses, a miniature Karakura Town within his own mind as he tracked the fragments of soul within his own thoughts. **The pattern feels so random, so I don't know if it's a natural phenomenon or a manufactured phenomenon** Yoshirou thought as he continued his leaps, carefully avoiding a group of birds that couldn't have felt his presence anyway, but he could only see as weaker than average souls within his mind.

_I don't understand it either, I don't remember anything like this before._

**Hrm, but it seems you were right, there's definitely a source at the middle, the concentration grows the closer we reach the River. If this was a deliberate phenomenon, then it was a well done one, Soul Society would never be able to detect the sudden growth of numbers of tiny reiatsu due to the background bleeding of souls from the Juureichi that is below Karakura Town, although I'm more surprised there isn't any more Hollows present, normally with this many reiatsu sources floating around, they would be all over the place.**

_Maybe it's something only you can sense, due to your enhanced abilities?_

Yoshirou's eyes opened slowly as he finally started to reach the river, now clearly visible below in the air now, his eyes scanning the nearby river banks for anything he could see, he suddenly thought** If that's true, could it be another trap?**

_I doubt it, there was no guarantee you would have noticed this if you hadn't purposefully done an entire area sweep with your senses like you did._

**Possibly** Yoshirou concluded as his eyes narrowed slightly, still unable to pinpoint the source below him, although he could now feel something below him with his senses, although where he couldn't pin point exactly, it felt like the presence spread all around the river, much, much weaker than even a humans presence should have been, and almost more immaterial feeling than a spirits own presence. Closing his eyes once more, he tried to image the presence mentally. Although he could see hundreds of the tiny pin pricks of light about his darkened version of the town in his mind, he could now visibly see a thin, almost cloud like, presence that extended spherically around the river, he already seemed to be standing within the field that was defined by the presence.

**I think…it's still human, whatever this presence is…** Yoshirou thought as he returned back to his normal senses, the moon reflecting brightly off the river below him. **Not to mention I feel like I should know it, it feels slightly familiar… is it one of Kurosaki's friends?**

_I agree, although I still can't recognise it, you have definitely sensed this reiatsu before._

Well, if it's something I know, maybe they will reveal themselves to me if I show up down there? Yoshirou wondered as he started to descend down to the ground. As he started to descend further down towards whatever the presence was, he suddenly realised he could sense more from the presence. Sadness? Yoshirou wondered at the familiar emotion as his feet softly touched the grass.

(P.O.V change)

"Yoshirou-kun…"-Inoue said quietly in surprise as she saw whatever had landed behind her, causing her to turn around in surprise. She had been waiting here for the time that the Arrancar had chosen for them to meet, just staring up at the moon when she had been startled by the noise from behind her, magnified so much since the air had been so silent, only the slight splashing of water from the river nearby to go with the crickets that chirped hidden nearby being the sound that she could hear before his arrival.

She watched him in surprise for a few seconds, the tall Shinigami's eyes looking nearly right at her, before she remembered that he wouldn't have been able to see her anyway, the bracelet on her arm making it impossible for anybody to see or interact with her, it was just a coincidence that he was here. Breathing out softly as she tried to bring her surprise back under control, she watched the man again, now striding away from her along the grass bank of the river. "I'm glad he's okay…"-Inoue said softly to herself, only hours before, she had been forced to see all of her friends in danger, all visions shown to her by the strange Arrancar Ulquiorra, among the many visions, an image of the Captain collapsing down on one knee, bleeding profusely from so many wounds, seemingly stuck within a cavern.

She was glad to see him now, still robes in complete ruins, but his wounds no longer showing, somebody having taken care to bandage the awful injuries she had seen all over his body in the vision. She was grateful that the Arrancar had kept his promise, that nobody would be hurt any more if she agreed to go with him, the Captain standing before her obvious proof that the Arrancar had not only kept his word regarding her human friends, but her friends among the Shinigami too. For a second, she wondered how he would react if he knew what she was doing now, leaving them all behind to try and protect them, whether he would try to help her like he had done in Soul Society.

But even without a person to answer her, she shook her head. This was her choice, she chose to do what the Arrancar demanded to protect her friends, she couldn't ask him to risk his life again just because she was afraid of what was to come when she was brought face to face with the man called Aizen, the monstrously powerful traitor Shinigami, who had so easily hurt both Kurosaki and Yoshirou like they were nothing to him. **But… I can't do nothing with everybody getting hurt, I have to do what only I can!** Inoue reminded herself for what must have been the hundredth time, but even so, she still felt sad, not knowing whether she would ever see her friends again, not knowing whether Kurosaki would understand why she did this.

"Kurosaki-kun…"-Inoue repeated softly, feeling the tears threatening to spill out once more as her thoughts returned to him. She didn't want to leave him behind, to throw her feelings away, even if it was the only way she could try and protect him, and everyone else. She desperately wanted to stay here, even if she couldn't bring herself to tell him how much she loved him, just being able to be near him, to see him smile, that was more than enough for her. She wasn't even able to tell him goodbye, she wasn't able to say goodbye to anyone, not even Tatsuki, for if she did, it would be breaking the already generous rules Ulquiorra had set about the time she had left.

Lost among her thoughts, she barely noticed as the pacing of the Shinigami returned in her direction, his footfalls soft on the grass they both stood upon. However, she heard the metallic noise as a sword was drawn from a sheath. Drawn towards the noise, she saw the captain had returned nearly back to where he had started, his sword drawn now as he held it down beside him, although why he had drawn his zanpakuto she didn't know. "Alright, I'm getting a little tired of waiting for whatever you are to show yourself, obviously I thought wrong when I thought I recognised the presence, now, show yourself!"

**Huh?** Inoue thought in confusion as she realised Yoshirou was looking straight at her. Or to be more correct, in her general direction. **I thought nobody would be able to tell where I am except Arrancar's!** Inoue thought as she watched him stand there tensely, frowning slightly as he waited for a reaction from something. Glancing up at the moon above them Inoue realised that it was nearly time for the Arrancar to meet her, he could arrive any second. "Show yourself!"-Yoshirou repeated, his eyes no longer looking directly at her, but glancing rapidly about, trying to see any sign of a presence. **Oh no, if Yoshirou is still here when that Arrancar arrives**… Inoue realised, her thoughts flashing back to what Ulquiorra had done to the two Shinigami who had been escorting her. Despite her plea's for him to not hurt them, Ulquiorra had mercilessly torn through the two men. She knew Yoshirou was strong, but that Arrancar was terrifyingly strong as well.

Her hand strayed to the bracelet on her other wrist, the device Ulquiorra had given her to conceal her presence, before remembering what the Arrancar had told her.

"If that person becomes aware of your presence, you'll be deemed to have broken the rules"

Inoue hesitated as she remembered this, before realising Yoshirou had already found her presence anyway, so she had already broken the rules. However, she hoped Ulquiorra would be more likely to forgive her if it wasn't her fault that he had detected her. **No, I don't need to think about that, I need to tell him to leave!** Inoue quickly realised as she got over her hesitation, and took the bracelet from her wrist.

(Back to Yoshirou)

Now that he could clearly see his target, Yoshirou breathed out a sigh of relief, slightly regretting that he had drawn his sword to protect himself. Shaking his head slightly as he quickly sheathed the blade, he flashed a quick smile to the girl before him, saying-"You kinda surprised me there!" However, he quickly stopped as he saw her expression at seeing him. Apprehension? Yoshirou wondered, confused as he recognised the emotion that flit across her face, before she returned his smile with what seemed to be a less enthusiastic one of her own.

_Well, you did just draw your sword on her…_

**Well I had no idea it was Inoue, did I?** Yoshirou reasoned as he considered a way to apologize. **Wait, I'm being too complacent… **Yoshirou realised, his features tightening slightly as he remembered the reason why he was here in the first place. Watching Inoue, she seemed to be nervous, glancing around the place rather than looking at him. "H-Hello Yoshirou-kun, erm… how come you're out so late? Don't you have to go back to Soul Society or something…" **Eh?** Yoshirou thought in surprise. He had never seen her act any different than her usual lively self, seeing her act like this was really suspicious even without the situation at hand. "Inoue, why exactly were you-"-Yoshirou started to ask, ignoring her own question in favour of wanting to clear up what the girl was actually doing that could have caused such a phenomena, when he was thrown forward slightly, his senses jarred as he detected an incredibly powerful presence, the feel of the reiatsu horribly recognisable as not Human or Shinigami.

_Yoshirou!_

**I know!** Yoshirou thought tensely as he felt the more powerful presence suddenly appear from nearby. Turning about, Yoshirou instantly went on full alert as he saw the one thing he didn't want to see suddenly open behind nearby, like a tear in space. "Garganta!"-Yoshirou said, as he saw the inhabitant within. Standing within the tear, hands tucked away within pure white robes, a strange helmet of bone upon his head, eyes already watching him with a strange lack of emotion from their green depths, face impassive as it regarded the Shinigami before him, stood the Arrancar known as Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Yoshirou stood his ground, despite being to close to the portal for comfort, already knowing that he couldn't use Kido at this distance, but leaping back to gain distance for battle would mean putting Inoue between him and the Arrancar. **Just what I didn't need!** Yoshirou growled internally as he drew his sword in a quick movement, he knew this was not a foe he could take lightly, even in his best condition, this was the monster which had faced down three Captain strength foes and managed to leave without taking a single mark, the mysterious Arrancar who was the first to attack Karakura, Ulquiorra. Yoshirou considered grabbing Inoue and retreating, but he had no idea what the Arrancar would do if he tried to escape now.

However, his enemy surprised him. His face impassive, he didn't attack, he didn't even draw sword or raise his reiatsu towards a more appropriate level for battle, he didn't even move to leave the portal, only saying one word, "Wait." Yoshirou's features tensed, the way the Arrancar had spoke confused him, the tone he used, he couldn't tell if the Arrancar was asking him to wait, or ordering him to wait, his opponents eyes betraying no emotion, he could feel no confidence, no superiority, nor could he feel weakness or fear. Yoshirou then realised something.

_He's suppressing his presence, massively._

**I know, I can tell that he's not letting anything escape, damn, the others wont be able to detect his presence like this, and in my weakened condition, I'm not sure if I can defeat this guy so easily!** Yoshirou thought as he swung his katana into a guard position, glancing back over his shoulder as he quickly shouted-"Inoue, run! Hitsugaya should be at your place by now, alert him about the situation and that I request immediate reinforcements now, I'll keep the Arrancar busy until your clear!" Inoue jumped in surprise, having been staring in horror at the Arrancar before her. However, Yoshirou couldn't spare any more time for her, turning back to face the Arrancar, and hoping that she would get over her shock and run.

His attention returned to his foe, Yoshirou's features tightened, focusing his gaze fiercely on the foe before him, growling-"What are you here for, Arrancar!" The impassive foe didn't change slightly from his threatening tone, seemingly ignoring him as the Arrancar fixed his cold gaze firmly on Inoue. Yoshirou could hear her sharp intake of breath, no noise of her legs running, obviously petrified to the spot by the cold glare of the enemy. **Shit, is he going to target her?** Yoshirou thought as he swiped his blade downwards, a loud keening noise ringing from the blade edge as light flowed along the blade, swiftly transforming the sword into its massive Shikai form before he wielded the sword in both hands, demanding once again-"Answer me, Arrancar!"

Yoshirou was surprised that the Arrancar's eyes didn't even stray towards this show of power and authority from him, still looking past him at Inoue instead. "You contacted him?"-Ulquiorra suddenly said quietly, confusing Yoshirou until he realised this question was not directed at him, but at the human behind him. Yoshirou was surprised as he heard Inoue blurt out-"No! H-he found me somehow…" Yoshirou froze in surprise, risking a glance back at Inoue now; her face seemed almost desperate, as if she was truly trying to convince the Arrancar otherwise. "Inoue…what do you mean? Why are you even replying to him? Why didn't you run like I told you to?"-Yoshirou asked in a quiet tone, his thoughts already telling him the most likely answer.

The situation was too strange, Inoue had been somehow hiding her presence, had been shocked and almost dismayed to see him, and now an Arrancar arrived, right at the same location as she was, and now she was even responding to the Arrancar**. Don't tell me this is what I think it is…** Yoshirou thought, hoping desperately she would tell him otherwise, assuage the dark thought that was creeping on his mind, but Inoue only turned her head down, grabbing her arm as if to assure herself, refusing to make eye contact with him. "I see, it seems you are telling the truth, woman."-Ulquiorra said quietly from behind him. Ignoring Inoue, trying to force his thoughts aside and filling his mind with the thought only of the foe before him, Yoshirou turned rapidly to face the Arrancar once again, his reiatsu rising as he said-"Stop chatting Arrancar, and answer my question, what is your purpose here."

Once again, the clear green eyes seemed to appraise him, watching him in an emotionless stare, before answering-"I am under Aizen-sama's orders to safely escort this woman back to Hueco Mundo, she has come here for this reason." "Enough bullshit, I hardly believe that's all you're here for."-Yoshirou spat out, trying his best to silence the ever growing doubt that was worming through his thoughts. The Arrancar made no move, only responding clearly-"That is all I am here for, whether you believe or not despite the proof. Now, stand down Shinigami, I am not here for aggressive actions, but if you impede my objective, then you will be risking lives."

Yoshirou flared his reiatsu once in reaction to the Arrancar's words, the wind whipping up into a storm about him in that instant, the air blown away from him with enough force to force Inoue into bracing herself, crying out slightly in surprise. Bringing his zanpakuto before him once again, Yoshirou responded-"You don't have a chance of killing me before reinforcements come, even in my injured state, I can match you long enough for others to come." Ulquiorra simply watched him impassively, before stating-"You came unprepared, you weren't anticipating battle in the middle of Karakura Town, and therefore there are no precautionary measures in place to protect the nearby inhabitants of this Town. If either of us makes a move, the casualties amongst the humans would be catastrophic."

"However, in the same situation, with our strength, a battle at this location is likely to cause damage to the Juureichi, which will impede Aizen-sama's plans, so I would avoid battle if I can as well." What? Yoshirou thought in confusion, unsure as to why he had just been told this. If this was a bluff to force me not to battle, he should never have told me the second half, is he stupid?

_I doubt it, he has a plan._

Ulquiorra's eyes once again moved, now watching Inoue, who seemed to quail slightly under the empty gaze, before he finally announced-"In this situation, if the woman chooses to remain here, I will be forced to leave empty handed, however, if she chooses to go to Hueco Mundo, you will be unable to take any action against her or myself to stop her." Yoshirou's heart froze, he knew now what the Arrancar was getting at. **No…** Yoshirou thought as his eyes turned towards the human girl who stood nearby, her head still looking down as she avoided his gaze. **No, there has to be something else, think, think! Why would Inoue do what he said? Why would she go to Hueco Mundo?**

_Yoshirou…_

**No, she can't be betraying everyone; there is no reason why she would betray her friends! **Yoshirou thought as he watched her, the girl swaying slightly on the spot under the pressure of the two gazes that were upon her, two sides, two representatives of two worlds, the choice entirely hers of whether she would remain at Yoshirou's side and return back to her friends, or betray them all and follow the Arrancar into the darkness of the seeming void that he stood in. But even as he thought this, he saw her eyes raise, the eyes that within their depths, Yoshirou could read that the human before him had already decided. With unsure, unsteady steps, she started to walk forward.

**This can't be happening, there has to be something else!** Yoshirou thought desperately as she approached him, her intent obvious to pass by him and walk towards the Arrancar that stood before him. Even as the girl gave in to the will of the Arrancar, Ulquiorra's impassive expression never changed, almost as if he knew this would happen**…wait, what if that is it? What if he has something that he is using against her? **Yoshirou realised. Just as he thought this, Inoue reached where he stood, hesitant now she was so close to him, his expression fierce as he tried to figure out what to do. He wondered whether she was waiting for him to stop her for a second, to bar her passage towards the Arrancar.

_Stop, you can't do anything right now that will risk the town's inhabitants! Without the spatial barriers up, you could end up causing massive casualties if you provoke a battle here and now!_

**But I can't just let her go!**

However, even as he looked upon her, struggling to think of what to say that would make her stop, knowing that Taiyou was right, he couldn't force her to stop with the Arrancar so close by, he heard her say quietly, almost whispering-"I'm sorry…" With that alone, she walked past him, her head held down, Yoshirou rooted to the spot. Turning slowly, Yoshirou watched as she started to cross the gap towards the Arrancar. **Inoue…** Yoshirou thought, not knowing what to think any more.

It was clear she was betraying them, running away with the Arrancar to Hueco Mundo. It had all been setup, the ability to hide herself obviously given to her by the Arrancar's so she could mask when she left, only discovered because he had been able to sense the disturbance created by what must have been a scattering effect created by the energy field whatever was giving her this ability gave off. The Arrancar had been telling the truth, he had come to escort her back to Hueco Mundo, to Aizen's side. He should have been angry, she was betraying all those who cared for her, to follow Aizen instead, but all he could do was wonder why her quiet voice had sounded so sad to his ears.

_Yoshirou!_

Taiyou spoke in his thoughts in surprise as his power erupted outwards. Yoshirou had already accepted that he couldn't risk the humans who were all around them in the battle that would ensue between him and Arrancar just to stop Inoue if she did choose that path, the risk was unacceptable, no matter how he saw it, too many would die if he commenced battle right now. However, her last words, that sadness, the hopelessness in her eyes as she had looked up at him had pushed his restraint out of the window, his power erupting outwards, the air crackling with energy as a gale force wind blew outwards from him. Even in his weakened and injured state, he could still put out a massive amount of power, especially since his emotions were now fuelling his power beyond the limit of what his weary body was capable of handling, the reiatsu he was putting out almost coming close to what he could use at his best. Inoue cried out in shock as the wind battered her again, her hair blown back as she looked back at him in surprise, before stopping in place, her walk towards the Arrancar halted as she saw his eyes blazing with golden light, an apologetic smile on his face as he said-"Sorry, but I'm not letting you leave that easily."

**Yoshirou, stop, you can't risk what will happen if you and the Arrancar fight now!**

**Maybe, but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't try something at the least** Yoshirou reasoned as he watched the Arrancar's gaze finally return to him, still implacably calm even as he calculated that in his current state, his foe was putting out more than he could handle, Yoshirou's body pressing past it's limit. The Arrancar turned it's body, taking it's hands slowly from it's robes as it finally descended from the Garganta it stood in, the air thrumming with anticipation as his feet touched the ground, standing completely opposite Yoshirou with his calm demeanour.

"Unexpected, I would have thought you would prioritise the residents of this town above one woman."-Ulquiorra stated simply, one hand strangely cupped, hidden slightly behind his robes, the other hand moving to rest upon the green handle of a sword that poked past the robes it wore, his tapered fingers wrapping about the handle, but not drawing the blade. Yoshirou grinned slightly despite the situation, his mind set as he answered-"I would be a poor excuse of a man if I couldn't save one woman who needs help."

"How ridiculous."-Ulquiorra stated calmly, efficiently, as if he was giving a pure fact on the situation, rather than an opinion, his green eyes still showing their impassive depths as they watched him. "You already know that she is willingly choosing to betray you, yet you say you are saving her?" Yoshirou shook his head slightly, almost pityingly as he regarded the Arrancar, answering-"My mind may tell me that's so, but my heart knows she would never betray her friends, I'm just following my heart." The Arrancar seemed to pause, before calmly, almost like an executioner, saying-"So be it."

Everything happened in a flash, too fast for the human who had been seemingly stood between them to even comprehend, except hearing the sound of impact, and a surprised gasp. As she turned, Inoue's eyes widened with surprise as a black liquid sprayed across the grass they stood upon, the Arrancar's blood spurting out from a wound already taken. However, the gasp had not been from Ulquiorra, his face was still impassively watching Yoshirou's own, which showed his eyes open wide in surprise and confusion. The answer became clearer as Inoue looked, her hands raised to her mouth as she saw what had happened.

Ulquiorra had been the faster to attack, his presence already standing before Yoshirou even as the last vowel had rung in the air from his words. But Yoshirou had seen him move, his senses showing the Arrancar's path clearly as he had almost mechanically made the motions, leaping high above Inoue before he landed with a eerie grace before Yoshirou, obviously intent on ending the battle with one quick blow. Yoshirou's blade vanished from sight with the speed he moved, stabbing forward faster than any eye should have perceived, expecting that his foe would have done the same, and that their blades would have met, and the battle would have begun.

However, as Ulquiora's hand moved, Yoshirou realised that it wasn't holding the Zanpakuto that they had been grabbing only seconds before, the hand empty as the blade remained sheathed. Instead, he had released his sword, his fingers moving at blinding speed as they arched over the razer sharp edge of light on the Shikai Yoshirou wielded, his tapered fingertips gripping the blade as he redirected the thrust away from his body. However, the blade edge was still just that, and the strange move Ulquiorra had chosen to use had cost him, the light edge biting deep into the Arrancar's palm, black blood spraying from the wound. In exchange however, the Arrancar had pulled slightly on the blade, bringing Yoshirou closer as his free arm swept up, his hand formed into a chop aimed for Yoshirou's neck.

The movements were so fast that had it not been for centuries of experience honed on the battlefield, Yoshirou's head could have been removed in that one move, his neck broken and his head removed had it connected with the force the Arrancar had so easily summoned. But Yoshirou was still the faster of the two, seeing the arm almost in slow motion as it aimed for his neck. Arcing his back, Yoshirou dodged back, the fingertips of the Arrancar slicing the air where he had been, the attack missing him by millimetres. In one swift counter attack, Yoshirou released one hand from his sword, his now freed fist rocketing forward, blue fire racing across his knuckles as the punch explosively connected with the Arrancar's body, a wall of pale blue fire blasting outwards from the impact point, engulfing the Arrancar as the punch detonated with the added power from the Soukatsui spell Yoshirou had released at contact, literally causing a shotgun impact that blasted the Arrancar away from him.

However, Yoshirou could still see the impassive expression from his foe, even as he had slowly felt the ribs breaking under his opponents skin as his blow connected, the Hierro overcome in an instant by Yoshirou's emotion fuelled reiatsu, his blow connecting with meteoric strength. Even as he watched his foe fly away from him, born back by the momentum delivered by his punch, he realised with shock **he let me hit him! **Too late did he notice something floating in the air before him, mere millimetres from touching his body, something that he hadn't noticed when he had focused upon dodging his foe's blow, the whole attack having been a feint just to draw Yoshirou into range. Spinning in the air before him, the chop at his throat having been purely for the purpose of releasing this object at point blank range, was a small, cubic box.

"Shi-"-Yoshirou started to gasp, his legs tensing as he pulled the reishi beneath his feet, trying to activate the shunpo that would hurtle him back twenty metres, far away from whatever this ominous object was. But he knew he was too late, the Arrancar had taken a gashed hand, and numerous broken ribs to place this object at point blank range, there was no way he was going to be able to dodge this attack in time. Even as he realised this, the box seemingly expanded, black sheet's of a dark substance lancing out from each facet of the cube, rapidly expanding, bending, and curving around his body. Yoshirou turned his head as fast as possible, trying to find a clear path from the rapidly growing lattice of black that was spreading all about him, he had no idea what it was, but also had no intention of finding out if he could.

But the black panes of reiatsu were too fast, already covering every exit as they started to wrap around the other panes, already the moonlight vanishing as the view was blocked by the black substance. Gritting his teeth, Yoshirou summoned up his reiatsu quickly, intent on cutting through the darkness that was covering him, his blade glowing with intense light as his muscles started to react to his will. But it was too little too late, even now, the darkness had swallowed him completely, his view of the human world around him completely covered, no longer able to even sense anything outside of the darkness that now not only covered him, but was shrinking rapidly, enclosing about him as he felt his arm stop in it's motions, pinned into place by the restricting darkness that surrounded him.

Outside of the box, Inoue could only watch in horror as the Captain was covered by the darkness, now rapidly shrinking down into a tiny prick of darkness, before dispersing altogether, leaving no sign of the Kido Corps Captain in the human realm.

* * *

**Oops, somebody got trapped in Caja Negacion 0.0. Now, I had planned to do this whole bit in one chapter, but I redid it into two so I could focus more on what I write next time, since I still have some flaws to iron out, suffice to say this isn't over yet lol. Anyhow, seeya all next chapter!**


	36. Q&A Time

Surprising, didn't expect anybody to object to the story plot, glad somebody finally has pointed out where I may have messed up. Anyhow, since I would like any issue's with the plot cleared up quickly, I thought i'd post this seperatly since I haven't finished the newest chapter yet (hell I haven't started lol)

Anyhow, questions that were posed after last chapter (I have rewritten them differently for (hopefully) easier reading)

Q. Does Caja Negacion take effect on a Shinigami, when they have no hollow hole to place the container?

A. Okay, here's the thing, I just interperated the technique in the way I wanted to here, i'll admit it probably isn't very secure. What I saw it was, there is no proof this technique was specifically tailered only to activate on Hollows, I'd say theres some leeway in that it can be used in alternate situations as well. Secondly, what is a hollow hole? It's simply empty space where the Soul Chain connected to the body, now that it's gone, it's just left a hole. In my opinion, that means the Caja Negacion couldn't have activated "specifically" from it being placed there, I think it's just convenient since it becomes inescapable at that range, in other words, it can activate at the whim of the user, not from the location of the item. As such, the box being activated at nigh on point blank range to Yoshirou's body would, in my eyes, be acceptable.

Of course, if there is still objections to the way I am seeing things, I can always rewrite the section, I was just setting it up so Yoshirou might have an excuse to Bankai next chapter as a means to break free of the technique, I mean Ulquiorra took two hours to escape? Let's see how much that can be cut down.

Q. Shouldn't Yoshirou be more than a match for Ulquiorra at this point?

Yes and No. I said from the start, I don't like the idea of Yoshirou being "ALL POWERFUL", I got him getting ass kicked by Aizen, struggling against time with Grimmjow, taking so long to gain Bankai and having a helluva time with Stark. Now, in perfect condition, yes, Yoshirou can beat Ulquiorra's sealed form easily, however, he has recently come out of a massive clash with Stark, not only taking multiple wounds (impaled through the stomach, slashed multiple times, blasted at point blank by a Cero, nearly burning out his reiatsu pathways when he pushed his body to the limit in the last Kido attack) he has also exhausted vast amounts of reiatsu in that battle, he also chose to heal Soi Fon, expending more reiatsu, he's so exhausted that he gave up trying to heal himself after healing only one arm, this is alike to Kurosaki facing Nnoitra after fighting Grimmjow.

However, at the moment, he's tapping into his huge reserves beyond the limit of what his body can currently handle, and although you may say it didn't show, I put him as "seeing Ulquiorra's arm almost as in slow motion", and breaking some of Ulquiorra's ribs with his attack, Kurosaki failed to do more than give Ulquiorra a tiny cut on the chest before he went H2.

Now, regarding why Yoshirou was seemingly struggling and unconfident to battle Ulquiorra in his current state, just like he said earlier, his body can't cope with using his full power, when he used the last Kido technique in the Stark fight, he badly damaged himself internally, not just externally, it's like burning out wires by putting too much energy through them, he's almost hitting his limit. This explains why he seemed so unconfident about facing Ulquiorra, his body is hitting it's limit, and he is now forcibly passing the limit to battle Ulquiorra, which will be shown next chapter.

Don't forget, Inoue will not be saved by Yoshirou, it's part of the main storyline, and I can't change that without altercating the timeline hugely, Yoshirou's body limit will probably be reached next chapter.

Well, that's (hopefully) marc's questions answered, now, as always if there is ever any questions regarding mistakes in the plot, information that should be put up, anything at all, I am more than happy to answer them to the best of my abilities, so ask away! This is a massive story, so plot points have to be solved quickly before I get too far ahead of myself, so the quicker you point errors out, the better the story will be!

Anyhow, that's all for this Q&A, cya all next chapter!


	37. Chapter 34

**Yo, long time no see readers! Sorry, been very busy with work, so updates for this my be astronomicly far from one another in future, real sorry! I know to those who read my other story, I promised a chapter last week, but I got hooked on a computer game sorry XP.**

**Anyhow, new chapter up, enjoy! (If the chapter sounds odd, sorry, i really didn't know how to portray an alternate dimension situation)**

* * *

**What the hell is this!** Yoshirou asked an confusion as he tried to force his limbs to move once again, his whole body seemingly unable to move as the darkness engulfed him, he couldn't see anything with his eyes, couldn't sense any reiatsu or power around his trapped body, and outside of feeling his own muscles trembling as they strained against whatever force halted their movements, his own robes shifting slightly over his limbs, he couldn't feel whatever it was that was trapping him. It felt as though he was trapped within some kind of void, unable to do anything whatsoever.

The fact that he couldn't see was the most worrying, his eyes could use any light present within any situation, no matter how little, to allow his eyes to see clearly, a benefit of having total control of light was that no matter what conditions he was in, he could always see forward. However, even though his own body should have been throwing off his reiatsu, his own Shikai pulsing with the light it created by using his reiatsu as the catalyst, he couldn't see anything, almost as if a blindfold had been forced over his eyes. However, he couldn't feel anything touching him, so he couldn't tell if this was the case or not. Gritting his teeth, Yoshirou pulled on more reiatsu, trying to force his way out of whatever trapped him, but to no effect.

_Calm down Yoshirou, whatever this is, it seems you're not in any danger right now, you need to think straight._

Unable to even nod, his neck seemingly also frozen in place, Yoshirou tried to take a deep breath to calm his thoughts, even though it was difficult with the encompassing darkness refusing to let his body move. The fact that he couldn't sense anything at all meant only one thing, there was nothing in existence around him, the only thing that could explain the situation was that there was nothing outside of his own body in existence where he was. Even though he could reason this out, his mind couldn't accept the situation.

**That device the Arrancar used must be the key**… Yoshirou realised as he went back in his thoughts to mere seconds before he was trapped. The Arrancar said that he couldn't fight in our location, so that device must be able to somehow eliminate my ability to fight him, he took a blow that broke his bones just so that he could get into range to use it, rather than drawing his sword and trying to kill me quickly. I can only think that I've been sealed away to-

However, before he could think further, try and find out what everything meant, he suddenly felt a pain inside his own body. **What now!** Yoshirou thought as he gasped out, his body suddenly feeling as though it was burning up, the pain spreading from the centre of his torso, burning as it started to flow to the rest of his body.

Distracted by the pain, Yoshirou lost control of the reiatsu he had summoned up to break free, the reiatsu vanishing from his body, rapidly dispersing, although to where in this trapped dimension, Yoshirou didn't know. However, the effect of his reiatsu vanishing seemed to affect the pain inside his body, slowly reducing down to a dull ache. Breathing rapidly, surprised that whatever it was that had happened drew a cold sweat from his body, Yoshirou thought **Taiyou, what just happened inside my body? Is it an effect from whatever this thing is?**

…_no I don't think so, but like I warned you earlier, you have put your body under too much stress in that last battle with that Stark, your body is starting to take damage from you pushing your endurance too much, don't try to use your reiatsu again until I can heal whatever damage you have done internally._

"Damn it…"-Yoshirou growled, his words seemingly echoing about him, even though his words had been quiet. He knew he had pushed his limits when he had fought Stark, he felt the same burning pain when he had withheld the Kido reiatsu too long during his battle. He had forgotten once again how much he relied on his zanpakuto's unique abilities, even if he had an amazing amount of reiatsu, there was a limit as to how he could control such vast energies within his own body. Normally, reiatsu was always channelled through a zanpakuto, or into the physical abilities of the body. While Yoshirou was unique in how he could contain such vast energies within his own body, it wasn't something he could safely do without his zanpakuto, something he should have learnt long ago, but in the heat of the moment, always forgot.

**Well, this is the first time I've had to fight a seriously powerful foe after having already pushed myself to the limit…** he relented silently, frustrated that he couldn't do anything now since he couldn't safely use his reiatsu. Ignoring this new information, he tried to focus on what he could to get free now. **If I have been sealed away, there's no way this is a permanent seal, if Aizen had something as convenient as a tool that could seal away Captain strength opponents permanently, there would be no need to go to war.**

_Indeed, this is probably limited in how well it can hold a strong opponent._

**So if that's the case, I can use brute force to break whatever is sealing me** Yoshirou finished, quickly trying to gauge how much reiatsu he still had available, his senses turning inwards as he started to concentrate on his own powers.

_Wait, you can't risk trying to use your reiatsu in this state! Didn't you feel what happened only a few seconds ago?_

**I know, I can tell my own condition easily enough now…** Yoshirou thought as he sensed the problem inside his own body. It wasn't as much his body that had been damaged, his corporeal form had no major changes, no signs of damage other than the wounds he had taken from his battle with the Primera. Even for a normal shinigami, the wounds would have been debilitating only, not fatal, and certainly not matching with the pain that he was feeling aching almost as if within his veins. However, he could sense the network of reiatsu pathways within his body, the network that channelled the spiritual particles that made the foundation of his body and the network that controlled his powers.

It was badly damaged, almost every route in the internal network was burnt from effort, the cost of forcing too much reiatsu to circulate within his own body showing its effects now. The damage seemed the most across his arms, but it didn't really matter where it was worse, any kind of internal damage would have an impact upon his functions, and more importantly, on his control of his reiatsu. He had suffered from this effect before, so it wasn't unfamiliar, but the sheer magnitude of the damage was off the scales compared to what he was used to.

**What bad timing, why couldn't my body have lasted just a bit longer!** Yoshirou growled internally, gritting his teeth.

_Yoshirou, calm down, there's nothing you can do for now! I'll use my powers to speed up the process of healing the burned out pathways to the point that you should be able to use your reiatsu to escape, but escape right now is impossible on your condition._

**It can't wait, and you know that, I need to get out of here now!** Yoshirou almost shouted internally. **If I don't, Inoue will..!**

(P.O.V change)

"You promised you wouldn't hurt anyone if I went with you…"-Inoue said softly, unable to shout it out due to the shock she felt from having watched someone she had known just vanish before her eyes. Ulquiorra seemingly ignored her at first, his eyes glancing down to his palm, watching as the blood continued to pour from the wound, no surprise showing on his features even though he was facing a situation where his wounds didn't heal as they should have. "It seems I cannot remove the reiatsu from the wound so easily, unusual."-Ulquiorra stated factually as he let his hand drop down to his side, the injury already ignored. "As to your accusation woman, I have kept my word, the trash that you are concerned about is unharmed."-Ulquiorra continued, brushing some of the grass from his robes from where he had fallen on the ground after Yoshirou had sent him flying.

Inoue could only look at him in confusion, making Ulquiorra realise that he would have to explain to make sure there were no complications down the line. Fixing his gaze firmly on the human once more, Ulquiorra stated-"I have sealed him away within a different dimension unharmed, for a being of his strength, it will be only a matter of a few hours to escape, by which time we will have already departed. I have kept my word, no harm has come upon the Shinigami in question." Unsure of whether she should believe him or not, she could only look disbelievingly where the Shinigami had vanished from her site. However, Ulquiorra quickly disturbed her thoughts, walking away across the field towards the dark portal, emotionlessly ordering-"Come, it would be wise not to leave Aizen-sama waiting."

(P.O.V change)

**Damn it, I can't just sit here and wait for my body to heal, I have to get out now!** Once again, Yoshirou tried to test how much reiatsu he could bring under control, pulling as much out as he could at once. The pain ferociously tore throughout his body, his body almost screaming in response to overexertion. Even with all of this pain, jaw clenched with almost enough force to shatter his teeth, he still couldn't summon enough power. He could feel that whatever surrounded him was weakening as he pulled on his powers, his own reiatsu eroding at whatever contained him, but he couldn't keep it up, gasping loudly as he lost control, all of his muscles trembling as he was wracked with pain, his reiatsu once again dissipating out of his control. Once again, his body was paralyzed in place as whatever dimension effect that stopped him once again reasserted itself with the weakening of his resistance.

_Yoshirou, there's nothing we can do until your body is healed enough to withstand summoning your full reiatsu! You're only going to increase the damage if you keep this up!_

However, Yoshirou ignored the almost shouted words reverberating in his mind. He knew this was a bad idea, he knew it was going to hurt, but if the alternative was losing his chance to stop Inoue from leaving with the Arrancar, then he had to risk it.

_STOP, YOSHIROU!_

Once again, he pulled on every last vestige of his reiatsu, his body burning from within with his pain as he roared out with effort. Once again, he felt whatever restrained him weakening, or at least that's what he thought through the pain, it was as if his conscious thoughts had been smashed apart by the unbelievable pain pulling on his full power was causing. He couldn't tell if the screeching that resounded inside his mind came from his imagination, his own body, the thoughts of his zanpakutou, or from his own mouth in response to the ferocious waves of agony as his body burnt from within.

With one last shout, reiatsu now visible in torrents about him as the air seemingly smashed before his eyes, jagged cracks appearing either in the air before him, or within his mind, he couldn't tell. As the pain threatening to send him over the edge, golden spikes of torrential reiatsu surrounding him as the dimension broke around him, he roared one final word.

"BANKAI!"

(P.O.V change)

An explosion. That was the only way to describe what happened. Even Ulquiorra was forced to brace himself as the air pressure smashed into his body. Inoue was sent flying to the ground by the force, crying out in surprise from the sheer force of impact. Ulquiorra could only stare at the rent in space before his eyes, his composure slipping as he stared, wide eyed, at the figure of a man within the darkness. "Impossible…"-was all Ulquiorra could quietly say, before he was overwhelmed by the tidal wave of reiatsu now pouring out of the hole in reality. Forced to one knee, his body trembling with the effort to not collapse upon the floor, Ulquiorra could only look on in disbelief as a fist, sheathed in golden reiatsu, punched through the gap between dimensions. Even just this off hand movement caused another gust of wind to blow from the portal, the grass flattening in all directions from the rent in space.

It was almost impossible to look at the portal to the alternate dimension, even though it was the dead of night, the light burning from within was almost as bright as another sun. Even as Ulquiorra watched, the rent in space didn't close up, but instead was eroded wider as more tumultuous reiatsu forced its way ahead of the figure who was the source of the power. His body burning with a golden glow, reiatsu made solid sheathing his body in an unbelievable light, Yoshirou stepped through the portal and into the human realm.

"This is impossible, you are nothing more than a Shinigami, how can you have this much power?"-Ulquiorra asked quietly, his voice still calm, after all, it wasn't in him to be afraid of anything. Sadness, pain, anger, fear, they were all pointless. But even so, he couldn't help but ask this question in disbelief at the entity before him. There was no reply from Yoshirou, the shinigami standing still as he looked upon the Arrancar. Even now, the reiatsu that had formed solidly about his body was starting to settle, becoming more distinct as intricate patterns wrote themselves upon the shape his clothing took in this new form. Behind him, his reiatsu changed once more as it started to condense, shapes taking place from his back, spreading outwards to form shaped from his back that could only be guessed to be immense wings of golden light.

**Impossible, a mere shinigami cannot summon this much power** Ulquiorra's mind insisted even as his eyes registered the torrential reiatsu that still blew outwards strongly from its source. He had seen first hand the amount of power Aizen could use at will, but this was impossibly higher, enough to even force the 4th Espada to its knees. **Was Aizen-sama's prediction wrong? Is it possible this man has become an even greater threat than Aizen-sama could predict?**

Ulquiorra was now unsure as to what to do. It was obvious that he now no longer could complete his mission, he could barely move under this immense pressure, and he had explicit orders to not utilise his Ressurection within the human realm. He could use Sonido to grab the woman and attempt to escape, but the entity before him was incomparably powerful, even before now the Shinigami had shown with Shikai alone that he was fast, there was no telling what he could do now.

However, the answer was given to him, but not in the way anybody there but Yoshirou could have known. Yoshirou had known that there was a chance this might happen, but he had bet on the possibility that it wouldn't happen, despite his zanpakutou's words in his head screaming for him not to.

He had bet wrong.

Suddenly, the immense wings of light started to fall apart, reiatsu made solid seemingly crumbling as the immense reiatsu that had been pouring from his body stopped. In the same matter, the clothing of golden light, not even having fully formed, crumbled about his body, reiatsu made solid falling apart as its source of power ended, revealing his black shihakshou underneath the brilliant gold. Even as Ulquiorra watched, a katana, returned once more to its sealed shape, fell out of the shinigami's grasp. With an almost inaudible sigh, the Kido Corp's Captain fell to his knees, before falling forward, unconsciousness claiming him even before his body hit the floor.

He had bet wrong, the damage inside his body was too great, the act of releasing his Bankai had been the last straw, his body wasn't able to put up with the damage any further, and his Hakusei had closed itself to seal the reiatsu which was tearing through his body. Without the fervent energy needed to keep him up, the pain blasting within his mind to an ultimatum, he hadn't been able to bear it any longer, and so his consciousness slipped away, even the voice of his zanpakutou's screamed warnings sealed as his eyes rolled up.

Right before the kneeled form of the 4th Espada, Yoshirou Kenshin fell unconscious and defenceless.

* * *

**Well, chapter done, sorry for anybody who wanted to see the Bankai fully, A) I simply don't know how to describe it outside of my own imagination, and B) I can't let the Bleach story be changed too much, so I had to have him fail to save Inoue. By the way, this was not the complete Bankai, I depicted it as being like part way through the transformation, before it collapsed aprubtly, kinda like how Ichigo partially pulls the mask on, but it suddenly falls apart on him. His bankai clothing will be actual clothing, and yes, even if cliche, he will have wings for his Bankai form, why? Cause their kick ass, thats why! And, while looking like light, they will represent actual wings, not the Reishi wing from Quincy Final Form or Hitsugaya's ice wings.**

**I know it might not make too much sense, since there is no other situation where this has happened in Bleach, but I hope you can forgive such a portrayal, because I wanted this for future plot reasons, please forgive me.**

**Anyhow, as always, please read and review! Also, while not trying to advertise it too much, if you like Naruto ff, then can you give a look at the start of my second story, i'd like to know if I should bother continuing it or not, thanks, and cya all later!**


	38. Chapter 35

**Wow, I have no idea why I never uploaded this chapter, it has been finished and waiting to be uploaded for over a month now, but I had just completely forgotten about it**

**Anyhow, sorry for slow updates again, life has kicked in and i've carted myself back to uni for another gruelling episode of coursework, exams and the hated tutors who are quite useless for teaching, despite it being what they are paid for.**

**Anyhow, enjoy the chapter!**

**IMPORTANT UPDATE!**

**EVA-Saiyajin sent me a PM about certain plot points that he wanted explained better, since he asked nicely I responded to him XP, however, he also made me realise that perhaps more people may be stuck on this plot point. As such, I have decided to add a surprise into an upcoming chapter, somebody will be appearing in the storyline in order to better clarify the plot points EVA-Saiyajin pointed out so all readers can know. While this sounds daft, I am going to be having fun writing it, so if anybody else has some questions to ask that is relevent to the storyline, then please let me know! If I get any more questions, I am going to try and write the explanations into the story by our guest charecter explaining them, the guest wont make an appearence for 2, maybe 3 chapters, so you have plenty of time to think on the questions, so please ask away!**

* * *

Yoshirou could only sense a horrible amount of aching from his body, and could only wonder was he even still alive. All he could remember was that last glimpse of Inoue and the Arrancar Ulquiorra as he broke the barrier between the dimensions with all his strength. He knew even as he started to lose consciousness, his mind blanking out as it surrendered to the pain that coursed through his veins, that he had made a horrible mistake. Just like Taiyou had said, his body wasn't capable of using its full strength in his condition; he had pushed his boundaries too far, in one day alone, he had faced what could easily have been the greatest soldier Aizen had managed to create for his army and lived to tell the tale.

The battle that he had been forced to go through, he knew that very few others would have survived, he already knew had it not been for whatever nuances had controlled his enemies actions, he probably would have died alone in that trap. Even having survived that, he had been foolhardy enough to rush straight into a confrontation with possibly an even greater foe, and once again had forced every ounce of his strength to it's limit just to escape from the dimension he had been trapped in, and all for naught, there was nothing he could do except fall down and die by the sword of his enemy.

Even as his eyes closed, he had one last look at the Arrancar, and even through the fog of pain that clouded his thoughts, he saw something strange in his foe's reaction. The Arrancar's eyes had widened in surprise at the sight of his foe, at the enormous amount of reiatsu Yoshirou could no longer control blasting away from his body, his mouth phrasing words in shock which Yoshirou couldn't hear through his pain fogged mind. Yoshirou's last feelings as the ground rushed up to greet him was only regret. Just like Taiyou had told him, he was unable to do anything to stop his enemy, the Arrancar was going to take Inoue, and he was going to die, his foolhardy choices finally coming around to get him.

**I really must be a glutton for punishment or something, every time Aizen makes a move, I run headfirst into doing exactly what he wants me to do** Yoshirou mused melancholically, before realising something that really should have been clear a long time ago.

**I'm alive...**

_Glad you managed to figure that out by yourself_

Yoshirou could feel his lips twist into a smile as he understood his zanpakutou's sarcastic reply. While it really was obvious that he lived, he felt glad that he could just openly acknowledge it, even if the thought was stupid.

**Sorry, but when I started to lose consciousness, I thought that was it, I was going to die, just being able to know I am alive is amazing to me.**

_Your not making much sense to me, are you sure your alright?_

Yoshirou could hear a noise now, a strange noise that pierced through his still jumbled thoughts, it took him more than a few seconds to realise it was his own chuckling at his Zanpakuto's words.

**How come I'm still alive? I fell unconscious in front of an Arrancar, why didn't he kill me?**

_I don't know, but be grateful that he did, that's the closest you have come to dying in a long time, even without him killing you, your internal systems have taken a beating from your antics yesterday, you can't just use your Bankai whenever you feel like it, you've become to comfortable with your abilities and have forgotten the risk of passing your body's limits!_

Ignoring his Zanpakutou's admonitions, Yoshirou tried to open his eyes, but the light felt harsh, burning his senses and making it impossible to see until they adjusted. Looking about him, he realised he was inside a building, a traditional japanese style room, with rays of light filtering between the blinds. Yoshirou's thoughts remained confused, trying to figure out where he was. Once again, his last memory flashed before his eyes.

"Inoue!"-Yoshirou gasped out, his throat feeling raw as he said the words, his body instinctively trying to rise. However, his mind was hit full force by agony, as if his brain had been smashed with a hammer. Hissing with pain, Yoshirou's body dropped back to the floor softly, has brain barely registering he had been lying in a futon, the contact of the sheets with his skin also revealing that his Shihakshou was also missing.

_Stop moving! I already told you internally all of your body is a mess; it's a miracle you didn't completely burn through your reiatsu pathways! You're in no condition to be moving right now!_

**What happened to her? If I'm alive, did somebody arrive and stop the Arrancar? **Yoshirou already knew the answer, even though he was desperately hoping it was otherwise.

* * *

(10 hours ago)

Everything was silent. At least, that was how it felt to those who looked upon the prone body of the Shinigami. The water still flowed, the air still blew slightly, the tree's still rustled along the river bank. But for those who had the ability to sense spiritual presences, that noise was too quiet to be even noticed as they recovered from the shock of having so much reiatsu crushing upon them. Inoue had, by fortune, been knocked far enough away from the portal due to the initial gusts of wind that she had not been crushed under the pressure of the shinigami's reiatsu-gone-wild. In comparison, Ulquiorra's legs were surprisingly unsteady as he straightened his lean frame, no longer forced down by reiatsu pressure.

For a moment, there was silence as Ulquiorra went over in his head what he had just witnessed, vital information that he may have to relay to his superiors later. Before him, the gap in between dimensions slowly sealed itself as the dominant reality of the Human Realm closed off the artificial reality created by the Caga Negacion. Soon enough, all that remained of the Shinigami's effort to return to this dimension was a thin line of light as the portal sealed itself, quickly reduced to nothing as the dominant dimension closed it off.

**To think, with nothing but pure, brutal force, he was able to tear apart the walls between dimensions in that small fraction of time between being sealed to now, I would have thought it impossible before now…** Ulquiorra thought as he continued to look down at the shinigami's body, now oddly frail looking in comparison to the sheer aura of might he had been radiating earlier. **Is this the true power of the Shinigami Bankai? The only other Bankai I have seen was nothing compared to this transformation… **Ulquiorra wondered as he started forward, walking to beside the prone body. Nearby, he could hear the woman struggle to pick herself up, but right now, his mind was solely on the entity before him.

It took him only a few seconds to cross the distance to the body. Now standing beside the shinigami, he took a second to glance down at the sealed sword that had landed nearby. Even with the unconsciousness of its master, the blade still glowed with an inner light. Even as he watched, he thought he could see a change, the light now burning furiously below the metal exterior as if in reaction to him watching it. Curious as to this change, he kneeled down, moving his hand as to pick up the katana. However, even as his fingertips brushed against the pommel of the katana, he felt his reiatsu repulsed, his finger burning in proximity to the blade as if the blade sought to destroy what it felt threatened its master, its inner light burning even more furiously.

**So, zanpakuto for shinigami are not merely a way to hide their full powers** Ulquiorra reasoned as he pulled his hand away, turning his wrist to look at the burnt tips. Once again, he couldn't regenerate the damage from the burns. Ignoring this fact, his attention turned once more to the shinigami he knelt beside. With a deft motion, he quickly flipped the shinigami over so that he lay on his back, his face now removed from the dirt.

The eyes were closed tightly on the shinigami's face, his features twisted slightly into a grimace. Combined with the rapid, short breaths the man was taking, Ulquiorra quickly summarised that the shinigami was in vast amounts of pain, so badly that even unconscious; his body was reacting to whatever damage he had taken. However, even though he could clearly see through all of the holes and slashes in the shinigami's clothing that he was covered in bandages, Ulquiorra doubted it was external injury that had caused the shinigami to pass out.

**So, internal injury must have caused him to pass out, perhaps from the stress of utilising his Bankai **Ulquiorra summarised as he straightened his legs, looking down at the prone body from a standing position. Looking down at the body, Ulquiorra quickly reached his decision. With a loud rasping noise, his blade cleared its sheath. Slowly, the blade was angled downwards, until it pointed over where he knew the Shinigami's heart would be.

**This man is too dangerous to let live** Ulquiorra decided as his blade hovered over the shinigami's heart. It was an easy decision, in Ulquiorra's mind, this man was more powerful than Aizen had predicted, he was too powerful, such a chance to eliminate him would not come so easily again. His order's had been to bring the woman back without leaving any sign that he had been there, so he would have to bring the body back with him, but he knew this opportunity would not come again. Without a hint of hesitation, the blade descended.

Only to halt in middair, barely an inch from the shinigami's bare chest stopped by an orange force field. Ulquiorra had seen this light before, so he wasn't surprised by the sight. Without even turning his head from looking down at his enemy, his eye's turned right, looking in the direction he had heard the woman moving from.

Sure enough, Inoue was standing there, her hands extended towards the two non-humans, breathing heavily from exertion. Even as he watched her, he heard the shield crack and disintegrate beneath the tip of his blade. However, he stopped the downward force from his arm, the blade continuing to hover over Yoshirou's heart, an inch from stealing his life. Keeping his cold gaze upon her, Ulquiorra asked-"What are you doing?"

Inoue seemed to freeze for a moment, fear showing in her eyes from remembering the way he had almost casually blasted a shinigami's arm off with a simple gesture when his only sign of resistance had been trying to guard her from the powerful Arrancar. However, somehow swallowing her fear of the Arrancar, she quietly said, almost pleadingly-"You said you wouldn't hurt anyone if I came willingly, so please…don't hurt him any more…" Ulquiorra didn't move, his facial expressions were still, his eyes coldly watching the woman before him.

His orders were to bring the woman back quietly and without confrontation, but that was already compromised since the shinigami had engaged him regardless, it had taken a great deal of effort to battle without letting a single stray amount of his reiatsu loose on the environment, the only sign of his presence if he left now the small spray of blood that covered the grass, lost from his body when the opponents zanpakuto had sliced through his palm, rapidly dissipating as the spiritual particles that composed it dissolved into the atmosphere. However, if he left the shinigami alive, then it would contradict his orders to leave no sign of his mission within the real world.

On the other hand, if he were to kill the shinigami, then undoubtedly he would be unable to bring the woman back with him without force. While this would be the more convenient method, seeing as how the woman had already left the evidence required behind, it would create problems later on, since he had no idea what his master's plan was. Perhaps it was necessary that she become a willing cohort for Aizen, if so creating animosity by killing the shinigami would ruin such a plan. Also, by showing that he was directly abiding to the terms of their agreement, it would ensure that she would come willingly.

But, above all else, he saw it unwise to leave such a potential risk to his master unchecked. There was no doubt in his mind that this man was a threat to Aizen's plans, perhaps the worst threat that currently existed to the plan. This trash, this shinigami, was infinitely more powerful than any estimate he had made before now, perhaps even more powerful than he himself was even if he used all of his power against him. If he eliminated him now, then he would be helping his master's eventual success.

But at the same time, Aizen had always made plans for this one individual, never once asking that he be terminated, or giving permission for the Shinigami to be terminated. There was no doubt that Aizen had something planned about this shinigami, but what Ulquiorra couldn't fathom.

All of this went through his thoughts during the few seconds that his emerald eyes impassionedly regarded the woman before him, shivering slightly in either nervousness or apprehension at him regarding her. Still below him, he could almost hear the heartbeat that pulsed beneath the point of his blade. It would take but an instant to drop the blade down, to end the life that burned beneath its sharp point.

With one fluent movement, Ulquiorra made his decision, Inoue gasping in surprise at his movement. His arm moved fluently, drawing the blade upwards and away from the vulnerable body below him. Even as his other hand lightly held his swords sheath, pointing the tip of the blade to the scabbard, he wondered once more would it be better to kill the shinigami. But he had his orders, escort the woman willingly to Hueco Mundo. Even if he was leaving a hole in the plan here, his mind reasoned that he had done enough to keep Soul Society believing that the woman had betrayed them. Even if the trash testified otherwise, there was no evidence left that showed he had forcibly taken the woman with him.

With a metallic ring, the blade was slid back to its scabbard. The decision was made, the shinigami would live. He saw the woman nearly collapse as he watched, the nervous tension that had been holding her up released with the click as the guard on his sword met with the scabbard opening, signifying the end of the motion for sheathing his sword, almost as if the noise also signified the cutting of the strings that held her in place. Without a single word, Ulquiorra stepped over the body of the prone shinigami, before walking towards the portal once more, no word spared to remind the woman that, with his letting the shinigami live, she must fulfil her side of the bargain.

Before he stepped into the portal, he paused for a moment. On a hunch, he closed his eyes, focusing inwards as he activated his Pesquisa, expanding his awareness outwards as he searched for nearby reiatsu sources of particular strength. As always, there was a high concentration present from trash within the real world, but he was only seeking out a few presences. As he did this, Inoue moved to join him, silent and cowed now, only sparing a small glance to assure her that Yoshirou was still alive. Although he couldn't sense her presence from nearby, Ulquiorra noted that he could sense a strong field of leftover reiatsu all about him, remnants of that incredible force he had seen from the shinigami's incredible Bankai power.

What was of more interest was the movements of two reiatsu sources he could sense nearby. Two very powerful signatures were crossing the city at very high speeds, and there was no mistaking their destination. Opening his eyes, he glanced in the general direction he felt the powerful reiatsu from. He quickly gauged the distance to the sources, and summarised that there was maybe two minutes before the two entities came into visual range of his location. Offhand, he noted the two reiatsu were recognisable, once again powerful warriors who had interfered with his mission before.

**So, it seems the device failed to contain the immense reiatsu from the Shinigami, and that has alerted the forces within the human realm to our presence** Ulquiorra summarised to himself. **No, more correctly, they know something has happened to the Shinigami, for it's only his reiatsu that has escaped the neutralisation field.** However, this information was superfluous anyway, Ulquiorra already knew the device was a failure, after all, the Shinigami had managed to track the woman to the riverside. Once again, he reasoned the easiest way to sort this would be to erase the individual capable of eluding the device's disguising properties.

However, now that there were two very powerful shinigami en route, there was no longer enough time to do so and escape with the target unnoticed. Turning his head back to the Garganta, he curtly said-"Let's go, woman."

* * *

(Back to Present)

The chances that anybody within the real world could have stopped that Arrancar from doing what it wanted was minimal, he had not sensed any presences even aware of what had transpired by the river, after all, nobody could sense reiatsu as accurately as he could, and that disturbance that was created at the site no doubt masked his own presence once he walked into it's realm of effect. Even if his reiatsu total in Bankai was enough to become noticeable within the disturbance field, it would have taken too long for any relief force to arrive and provide any type of assistance.

_I can't be sure, I couldn't sense their presence with my abilities alone, with you unconscious, I could tell very little of what happened outside of your body. The only thing I noticed was that the Arrancar came close after you fell unconscious._

Gritting his teeth, Yoshirou tried to ignore the pain coursing through his body as he threw his senses outwards, trying to detect the presence of the girl. After a few seconds, the answer was obvious; Inoue was no longer within the Human Realm. Yoshirou could only curse in anger; he had failed to stop her.

**I've got to find out what happened after I fell unconscious** Yoshirou thought as he once again made to get up. He hissed in pain again as the shock returned, his whole body felt like it was burning under his skin, even the pain from the wound where the Espada Stark had impaled him was tiny compared to this burning fury. It took all of his concentration not to let his mind take the invitation back into the darkness. However, no sooner than he had risen to his elbows, the first step towards getting up, than a partition door slammed open, a massive shadow covering Yoshirou. Without even looking up, Yoshirou's questions regarding what had transpired after he fell unconscious and where he actually was were answered slightly.

A shadow that massive could only possibly belong to Tessai, a loud exclamation of annoyance as he strode across the room confirming that fact. Quicker than he could react, Tessai grabbed Yoshirou's shoulder and nearly slammed the injured shinigami back onto the futon he had been struggling to get up from. "Tessai!"-Yoshirou literally barked in annoyance and anger, his temper flaring as he struggled to break free from the ex-Shinigami's grip, his respect for his former Captain forgotten in his attempt to escape from him. Even in his normal condition it would have been a challenge, since Tessai's muscles weren't just for show, however in his condition it was as futile as a mouse trying to escape from a cat's claws.

"Calm yourself, Yoshirou-kun!"-Tessai rumbled, his face masking the surprise at the injured shinigami's emotional outburst and the surprise at how weak the Captains efforts were, struggling in vain to escape from his grip. "Let go, Tessai! I have to get out of here!"-Yoshirou shouted his face contorting slightly as he struggled with the pain that threatened to swallow him, awoken anew from his struggle to break free of his oppressor. "Tenshou!"-Tessai called over his shoulder, his free hand easily batting away Yoshirou's arm that struggled to push the giant away. "Oh? He's awake already?"-a recognisable voice called from another room with a surprised, if only slightly, tone.

Realising he wasn't about to escape from Tessai in his state, Yoshirou ceased his struggling, gritting his teeth in frustration as he relaxed. A few seconds passed, Tessai seemingly not taking any chances as he continued to gently apply enough force to restrain Yoshirou's movement, and the owner of the property walked in, accompanied by the cat of the store, once again wearing her orange jumpsuit as she had assumed the form of the former 2nd Division Captain. "Should have guessed it would have been you, Urahara."-Yoshirou noted, more sharply than he had intended, the pain once again causing him to reply angrily. In reply, Urahara's fan snapped shut, his mysterious smile ever present on his face as he replied-"And I should have guessed it would have been you we discover at the centre of whatever scuffle broke out beside the river, who else would it possibly be but you, once again in over your head?"

"Don't mess with me, Urahara!"-Yoshirou replied scathingly, his anger multiplying in the face of Urahara's usual mocking tone, causing the store owner to arch an eyebrow in amusement. With a flourish of his hand, the fan opened once again, covering the store owner's face as he replied-"Well well, it seems something interesting must have happened indeed to have you fired up like this Yoshirou-san…." Surprising Yoshirou, Urahara promptly walked over to his futon, leaving Yoruichi to lean on the door frame and proceeded to sit beside the futon, his face between the motions of sitting showing the smile having vanished from his features, replaced by a more serious expression as he continued-"…perhaps if you are able now, you can report what transpired beside the river? To have discovered you unconscious at a scene of battle was indeed a worrying sight, just what exactly happened there?"

Surprised slightly at the sudden change from comedic to serious, Yoshirou froze slightly. In this time, Tessai must have deemed there no more risk of Yoshirou's resistance, and released Yoshirou, quietly uttering an apology as he straightened up, bowed promptly to Urahara, and avoiding Yoruichi in the doorway, left the room, apparently deciding he was not needed in the discussion to come. No longer restricted from moving, Yoshirou slowly eased himself up from the futon to a sitting position, grunting slightly with the pain he tried to overcome. Urahara simply sat watching him, waiting patiently for the Captain to begin. Collecting his thoughts, Yoshirou opened his mouth to begin the explanation….

And was instantly cut short by Yoruichi suddenly announcing-"Oho? We have a guest to the party." Turning his head towards the door to see what she meant, wincing slightly even from this slight motion, Yoshirou saw the person in question giving a cold look up to the woman, before stepping into the room. **Hitsugaya?** Yoshirou thought with surprise as Urahara instantly rose, his face once again beaming as he greeted the Captain with-"Hitsugaya-san, this is a surprising coincidence to meet you here! What can this shop keeper do for you?" Shaking his head, Hitsugaya stepped forward past Yoruichi as he bluntly stated-"I'm not here to talk with you, I'm here to bring Kenshin-Taichou back with me."

**Eh?** Yoshirou thought with surprise, blinking slightly in confusion at Hitsugaya's choice of words. However, Urahara seemed to understand what he meant, his head reaching to his hat leisurely as he pulled it down other his eyes slightly, murmuring-"So, they reached a conclusion already?" Still bemused by what they were talking about, Yoshirou watched as Hitsugaya nodded curtly, before addressing him. "Kenshin-Taichou, you will have to come with me, this is an urgent matter that cannot wait despite whatever injuries you have suffered to bring you here."

**Kenshin-Taichou…normally he just calls me by name, something must really be up for him to call me by title…** Yoshirou thought as he nodded slightly in turn, replying-"Okay, just give me a second to get ready." His mind went into action, trying to figure out what was wrong. As he hesitantly tried to rise, his face a mask of pain as his body rebelled against his action, Yoruichi gave Hitsugaya a sharp look, angrily saying-"Look at him! He's in no fit state to be moving right now Kisuke, we can't let him leave!" Urahara however, shook his head, although his smile was lost as he replied-"He's not in any danger in terms of health, it's just pain that he will have to put up with. It's the toll he has to pay for overestimating his limits, a lesson we all have to learn at one time or another."

Yoruichi simply gave him a scathing look, stepping away from the door frame as she walked over to help the struggling shinigami get up. Although Yoshirou winced slightly as she grabbed hold of his arm, he quickly managed to get to his feet with her help, Yoruichi supporting him as he tried to get his balance, even though his muscles felt like they would give way. "I'm fine, Yoruichi, it's nothing I can't put up with…!"-Yoshirou quickly said, embarrassed that he had to be helped up by a woman, even though he was grateful for the help. However, Yoruichi seemed to completely ignore him, quickly bending down to pick up both his sheathed zanpakutou and the neatly folded robes that Tessai had placed their earlier, somehow restored to their former glory despite being almost destroyed during the battle with the Arrancar Stark.

She went to help him put the robes on, but seeing his quickly reddening face despite the fact that the stupid amount of bandages covering his body prevented her from seeing anything, she just rolled her eyes before unceremoniously dumping the clothes in his arms, almost making him fall back over. With another angry glance at the diminutive Captain, Yoruichi swept out of the room, obviously unhappy with the situation. **Anyway, is this about the attack yesterday on Karakura town?** Yoshirou wondered as

**No, it can't be, we already had a meeting regarding that yesterday, so they must have discovered what happened to Inoue!** Yoshirou realised as he quickly donned his robes, tying his clothes in place with the sash, the burning fire in his limbs reducing slightly now that he had gotten used to moving around as he slid his Zanpakuto in place through the sash. **So, it must be a plan of action of what to do now…** Yoshirou finished thinking as he struggled with the Haori, eventually deciding with his movements too stiff and painful to easily place it over his arms just to drape it over his shoulders. He was surprised that during the time he took to get ready, Urahara never said a word, his hat pulled low as he thought to himself. However, just as he finished his preparations, Urahara glanced up at him, before once again masking his expression with a smile that was fooling no one into thinking that the atmosphere in the small room had lightened

"Yoshirou-kun, while no doubt you are in a hurry to go to this rendezvous, might I make a suggestion that you perhaps take your Gigai with you?"-Urahara asked with a feigned light hearted tone, causing Hitsugaya's expression to tighten slightly at the obvious delay Urahara was suggesting. Yoshirou paused for a second, trying to figure out why Urahara had suddenly tried to stop him leaving. Spreading his hands in a placating gesture, Urahara answered the unasked question with a simple explanation-"I just realised that with your condition as it is, it may be safer to use your Gigai for a while to give your spiritual body a chance to recuperate from what you have put it through, it's just a suggestion though, seeing as what discomfort you are in, it may help speed recovery."

Seeing the sense in what Urahara suggested, Yoshirou glanced at the younger Captain again, waiting to see if he had any objections towards taking the time to do so. Hitsugaya seemed to watch Urahara's face for any hint of what he intended, before reluctantly shrugging. With a quick sweep of his robes, the Captain turned away, walking towards the partition door as he stated-"Make whatever preparations you need, I shall go on ahead, since we also need to summon Kurosaki Ichigo for this meeting." With this curt reply, Hitsugaya strode out of the room, his posture oddly stiff giving away his impatience to be off as he left. Urahara let out a pent up breath as the edge of the white Haori disappeared around the corner of the door, before shaking his head slightly for some reason.

"Well, shall we?"-Urahara asked lightly, gesturing towards the door. Yoshirou however shook his head, fixing Urahara with a steely gaze as he asked-"What did you mean when you asked Hitsugaya had they reached *a conclusion*?" Urahara faltered for a second, surprising Yoshirou that he had caught the Captain off guard. **Obviously he hoped I wouldn't ask that** Yoshirou realised as Urahara's eyes closed slightly as he contemplated how to reply to the question. Realising he couldn't avoid saying this now, Urahara breathed out deeply, before returning Yoshirou's steely gaze with one of his own, stating-"The conclusion of the decision regarding the desertion of the human Orihime Inoue, to the side of the traitor shinigami Aizen Sousuke."

"What do you mean by that, Urahara?"-Yoshirou asked quietly, his body shaking slightly now not from the pain that he was still enduring, but by anger at the words that Urahara had spoken. Urahara looked away, no longer able to see him straight in the eyes when he saw the anger and flare of golden light that came with it from Yoshirou's eyes. "I asked you, what do you mean, Urahara!"-Yoshirou repeated as no answer come forth, his teeth clenched as he completely forgot about the pain wracking his body, almost tempted to grab the senior shinigami by the collar and force a reply from him.

*SNAP*

Yoshirou blinked from surprise as the fan snapped shut right before his face, shocking him out of the anger that was building inside him, Urahara once again locking eyes with him. Calmly and efficiently-Urahara said-"Calm down, Yoshirou-kun. You wanted an answer and I gave you it, I didn't say that was my express view on the situation, did I?" Realising he had indeed jumped the gun, Yoshirou calmed down, taking a deep breath, before wincing slightly as the pain in his body once again brought him back to earth. Seeing the younger shinigami's muscles relax from the angry posture they had been in, Urahara continued-"Of course, I am in belief that there are extra tenuous circumstances regarding the confirmed disappearance of Inoue, and the obvious signs of Arrancar presence now detectable about the banks of the Karakura riverside about the area where we found you unconscious. However, all evidence currently points towards Inoue having done exactly what Soul Society believes, and only your account will be able to confirm or deny those facts, as such it is imperative that we go over what happened before you talk to the Sou Taichou."

"Why must you know before the Sou Taichou?"-Yoshirou asked, now calmer than before, although still angry that it seemed others believed that Inoue had gone to the enemy's side. Urahara calmly explained-"The Sou Taichou has less patience for emotional outbursts than yours truly, and it is important that you can stress the innocence of young Inoue, not overtly prove that she has indeed betrayed us, assuming this is the case, it is better that you know exactly what to say than not." Sighing again, Yoshirou asked-"So which side of the story do you believe is true?" Urahara smiled slightly as he diplomatically replied-"I believe in never taking the first answer to be the cast iron truth, that is all. Now, if you please, can you recount exactly what happened on the riverside last night?"

* * *

(30 mins later)

Yoshirou experimentally rolled the shoulder of his Gigai that he inhabited, glad that he could no longer feel the pain from his body which was now safely recovering inside the false body that he was using. Nearby, Urahara sipped from the mug of tea that Tessai had brought for him halfway through the conversation, mulling over what he had learnt. With a deep sigh as he finished drinking, he set the cup lightly on the low table he kneeled before, motioning for Yoshirou to join him at the table. Kneeling down on the cushion opposite him, Yoshirou asked-"So, what is your take on this situation now?" Folding his hands over each other slowly, Urahara frowned slightly as he replied-"Not good, I was hoping for less condemning evidence from your account, but all it seems is that once again, Inoue has indeed joined Aizen's side." Sighing himself, no longer getting agitated since he understood that Urahara was indeed on his side, Yoshirou asked-"I know it looks bad, but there is proof that she hasn't betrayed us, or at least not willingly or without reason."

Nodding slowly, Urahara answered-"Yes, you're alive. That alone is a major point that we must account for, for if you're alive, that means the Arrancar you fell before had to stay his hand for some reason. I doubt highly Aizen has ordered his men to not kill you, since you represent his greatest threat, so that means for some reason, the Arrancar had to let you live. If you had been killed, then it would have been clear that Inoue had betrayed us, since her own reiatsu is detectable where you were found, that would mean she was present when you were slain and came out alive, something that would only be possible if she had sided with Aizen. However, you are alive, and the only conclusion I can reach is that it is because she protected you, for some reason it meant the Arrancar could not kill you and take her willingly with them, in other words, Coercion."

"This fits in with what events happened yesterday, the sudden withdrawal of all forces from the human realm. The time that she vanished within the Dangai coincides with their retreat, so what if her willing surrender was a terms and conditions for the withdrawal of all enemy forces? If we assume this to be the case, then the safety of those within the human realm was the condition of her surrender. As such, when she was discovered yesterday, and the encounter ended with your passing out, the Arrancar were hobbled, they could not slay you since it would break the conditions regarding her willing surrender. This theory is further reinforced if your account of her condition is true when you saw her yesterday."

Yoshirou nodded in reply, saying-"She wasn't resolute, she seemed afraid." However, Urahara smiled sadly, tipping his hat down slightly as he continued-"However, despite this being the case, this is merely a theory, not evidence of any kind, it could just as easily be said that it was Aizen's orders that had you left alive, not young Inoue's intervention, even if evidence of her reiatsu shows that she at the least used her techniques near you. Even if it makes little to no sense that she would betray her human friends, the evidence is too great to argue otherwise, if only she hadn't wrote that note down within the diary in her home, it showed that she had freedom to do what she wanted." Yoshirou could only grit his teeth as Urahara delivered this final verdict. He wasn't a simple minded person, he had already seen every side of the argument, and he knew that even if with all his fibre he believed that Inoue had not willingly betrayed them, her actions and the evidence proved otherwise.

**There's nothing that can be done to prove her innocence…** Yoshirou concluded internally, even the thoughts themselves leaving a heavy feeling in his heart. Urahara could see for himself that Yoshirou understood this truth, but also knew there was nothing that could be done but to follow the status quo. Unfurling his legs, Urahara stood up, an arm reaching down to offer to help the Captain up. "I wouldn't say there's nothing to be done, Yoshirou-kun."-Urahara stated as the Captain took the offered arm, pulling himself up. Yoshirou nodded as well, **there is nothing I can do to prove her innocence, so I simply have to accept it, it's what comes next is what I can do…**

* * *

**Well, thats a wrap folks! Sorry, but I really wanted to do some more with Ulquiorra in this chapter, thats why most of it seems to be a recount of his thoughts, rather than actually continuing with the story. I tried to keep in character for him, going through his thoughts as if logically and making his choices based completely on logic. He didn't try to kill him from fear, but because he deduced it wasn't worth the risk for him to continue living. I know, he used a lot of insults, but the way I see it is that rather than insults, he simply "labelled" them according to what he thinks, such as saying a weak person is a weakling, he thinks their only worth trash, so he denotes them *trash*.**

**Anyhow, another thing I want to say before the next chapter, don't get your hopes up, Yoshirou will not be joining Ichigo's initial incursion into Hueco Mundo. It would make no point since the Sou Taichou's orders are absolute, i've played up that Yoshirou has some significant part to play in arranging for the Fake Karakura Town setup, and simply put, it would be overkill. Ichigo needed the battles in Hueco Mundo to develop his powers, but we all know with Yoshirou's much more readily useable and more powerful abilities, he could dominate any fight in Hueco Mundo unless Aizen himself joined the battle. As such, for Ichigo's sake, Yoshirou will not be in the initial incursion.**

**He may or may not be in the second incursion though, i'm thinking of swapping Hanatarou out of the team for Yoshirou, after all, Hanatarou was the only non VC or C class combatent who was with the team, making him a rather odd addition, and since Yoshirou doubles as an incredibly skilled medic himself, he can easily take Hantarous place, and perhaps get a swipe at the second round of Espada's (I'm thinking of having him face Nnoitra for a laugh, the Espada with the greatest defence vs the Zanpakutou that can cut anything, should be fun)**

**IMPORTANT**

**I am also thinking of taking a small break from the canon, and putting in a version of the Zanpakuto Tales arc, i've had a few idea towards a potentially good storyline for it, and i'm just wondering what people think about seeing an arc based off it for my storyline. For this, I need to hear some PM's or Reviews adding opinions about whether you guys think it's a good idea or not, if I hear nothing, i'll drop the idea, so if you want to see a Zanpakuto Tales arc, then let your voice be heard plz!**


	39. Chapter 36 Filler Arc:Zanpakutou Tales

**Heyo, following my announcement of perhaps taking a break and doing a filler arc based off of the Zanpakuto Tales Arc, here is the introductionary chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

**A Zanpakutou's shape and abilities are based on their Shinigami's soul. Once a Shinigami learns their swords name, they are able to communicate with one another and grow stronger together. They are born with their Shinigami, and they die with their Shinigami. They are Zanpakutou.**

In a cavern, hidden within a series of deep catacombs, deep below the busy streets of the Seireitei, the main living areas of the elite force of Soul Society, the Gotei 13, an unknown group of entities convened in secret. The cavern was silent, only the echoes created as droplet after droplet of water fell from the mighty stalactites that adorned the ceiling of the huge cavern, lit dimly by the mysterious pool of water that glowed beneath, and the numerous torches that lined the walls, casting a fiery glow that despite its brightness, failed to light the entire immense size of the cavern.

Or the cavern was meant to be silent, for instead it echoed not only with the tiny drips of water splashes, but echoed far louder with the mighty snores of the giant man who had fallen asleep, his posture strewn across an empty part of the caverns floor, totally oblivious of the others who also sat in relevant silence, forced to put up with his noise. Many of the people waiting were either sat amongst the many ledges that had been naturally forged in the cavern, or else seated around the table, either just relaxing, or in one person's case, reading a small book.

Out of all of the entities who waited patiently for their comrade to return, one woman in particular sat atop one of the ledges along the caverns wall, swinging her legs to and fro in her boredom. Boredom finally winning out over patience, the woman swung her legs forward, pushing herself off of the ledge as she dropped to the floor, the movement revealing a long, sinuous cat tail, showing that along with the pink, almost fur that adorned her body, that she was not as human as her form would have originally made a person guess.

"Hey, how long do we have to stay here? I'm so bored!"-the woman complained, stretching her stiff arms as if to prove her point. However, garnering no reaction from her colleagues, she started towards the long stairs, hewn out of the rock, that would lead to the exit, announcing-"I'm going outside."

However, no sooner she started than a soft female voice called out-"Please don't." The cat girl paused, turning to the voice along with the heads of those who sat around the table, now curious to hear what the new person had to say. Stepping out of the shadows slightly, the owner of the female voice was revealed to be a beautiful lady in a snow white kimono, her face showing her pale skin and her dark blue eyes, along with a small smile as she softly explained-"We're still missing a few people"

The cat girl scowled slightly to herself as she murmured-"A few, huh?" Casting her gaze across the assembled individuals, they alone numbering a rather sizable group as they were, she asked-"How many people are coming, anyway?" The snow white woman simply replied-"Well, I don't know."

Their conversation was cut into by another person who sat upon the ledges, cackling almost maniacally, hefting a massive Kusarigama over one shoulder as he said-"Who cares how many come? I can handle this on my own!" However, he was surprisingly replied to by a gruff voice, the owner of it woken from the crazed man's shouting and presumably annoyed that his sleep had been interrupted as he countered-"Shaddup! There's no rush." As he said this, a small yellow light seemed to float around excitedly nearby, although on closer examination, it could be seen that within the glow there was a tiny human like figure, her strange clothing adorned in a hornet stripe pattern, with one arm covered in an almost bee like stinger as she replied-"Seriously! Ladies don't like men who rush things."

However, before it could all devolve into a full blown argument, they were interrupted by a loud echo of a door being opened nearby. From the top of the stone stairs, footstep after footstep echoed across the cavern, the owner of the noise slowly descending the stairs. Every man and woman's attention was taken by the sound, for they knew that only one person could be possibly returning at this time. Surely enough, a silhouette of a man could be seen through the darkness as he descended the steps slowly.

As he reached about halfway, one of the women stepped out of the shadows to greet him, the light now revealing a very young, almost childlike girl dressed in a plain white kimono, interestingly with a large pink ribbon that adorned her body, two large golden bells attached to each end, draped over her shoulders. This girl bowed respectfully as she greeted the man with-"Welcome back." However, the man didn't reply to the greeting, instead continuing his descent until he reached the level of the girl, pointing a hand behind him as he said-"He's our new friend." However, he did pause for one second to softly lay his hand upon the ladies shoulder, before continuing, saying-"Take care of him."

All attention now swung instead to the newly appearing silhouette of another man on the stairs, slowly descending in turn. As he entered the light of the torches, the illumination revealed his face sported a large, icy blue X mark across his features, his teal green hair long and wildly grown. However, what would be most unexpected for most humans was the almost collar of ice that adorned his samurai-esque robes. However, that would only be if one expected him to be human, for the entities in the cave, he looked as natural as any amongst them, apparently more interesting than some as the females in particular watched his proud gait, completely unfazed by the stares of all as he continued his descent. The tiny bee like lady flew over to the girl on the stairs, her eyes not leaving the figure of the man as she whispered to her-"He's kinda hot."

As the first man finally reached the bottom of the stairs, his form was finally see-able in the bright flame of the torches that hung from the walls. Unlike the man who was behind him, it was easy to see that this person was different to those around him. Although his body perfectly matched a tall humans form, his face was incredibly pale, possibly more so than the woman who had looked like a Yukki-Onna from before. However, it wasn't this that made his human form questionable, but the deep purple markings that surrounded his turquoise eyes, they were the most notable sign. Alike the others, he also had a different set of clothing that marked him out easily, a long white robe-like coat covered his body, with a collar of thick fur.

As he started to walk along the cavern proper, he was immediately interrupted by the impatient cat girl, rudely asking-"Hey, how long do we have to stay down here?" The tall man turned to her, replying-"Remain patient for just a while longer. Our comrades should all awaken soon." With this, he started to walk forward, as if aiming to walk straight past the cat girl. Annoyed at the reply, she complained-"But-" However, before she could manage to voice her complaint, the man suddenly raised his hand before her sharply, fingers splayed wide as he displayed his incredibly long nails, almost talons, that adorned his hand. Surprised by the move, the cat girl stopped her complaint.

Slowly, the man curled each finger inwards onto his palm, before slowly pulling his arm down. That done, he stared deeply into the girl's eyes, before saying, almost prophetically-"The Shinigami's era is drawing to a close."

* * *

**Well, thats it, yeah I know it's short, and it's simply the first 3-4 minutes of the first episode rendered into fanfic form, but I figure as an introduction, might as well set the mood by taking the original start and placing it in, be glad that it's not a month long wait for the update at once XP.**

**As I have already said, this will be a filler arc, so it won't have much connectivity to the main storyline, once the main storyline returns, there will be little to no mention of what happened during this arc. If you don't feel like reading my interpretation of this arc, then feel free to wait until the main storyline resumes, although tbh I will be a little upset if that happens lol XP**

**BTW, to those who liked the idea of the Soi Fon romance sub plot, I will be hopefully using that as a large focus for part of the plot in this arc, unlike previously, this arc will be done from multiple points of view for each character, but there will be 3 main points of view, Yoshirou's View, Ichigo's View and eventually, Soi Fon's View (again, theres a plot reason for the last one, but it would be a major spoiler if I mention it now XP)**

**Hopefully, you guys will enjoy this arc as something to read while I try and sort out the block I have on the main storyline, for some reason it isn't going so well, so instead of trying to force it, i'm going to write a different arc in until I have it all sorted out mentally, seeya all in the next chapter!**


	40. Chapter 37 Zanpakutou Tales 2

**Well, new chapter time! I'm still thinking of things for the main storyline, got an interesting idea rolling around in my head, but i'm just undecided on certain things, so I want to get them cleared up first, sorry that this chapter is short, Uni is a very bad time to be a FF writer, so this is all I can manage, enjoy!**

* * *

_Ichigo…_

_Ichigo…_

_Can you hear it, Ichigo?_

With the rough sound of his zanpakutou's voice filling his ears, Ichigo woke up groggily from his sleep. His first reaction was surprise. Raising his torso up from what had previously been his bed, and now was a solid pane of glass underneath his hands, Ichigo cast his eyes about him. "This…is my…"-Ichigo murmured to himself, surprised at what his eyes were revealing before him. Without a doubt, this was his inner world, blue skyscrapers reaching high towards the blue sky all about him as he lay upon the surprisingly horizontal wall of a skyscraper beneath him. Nearby, he heard footfalls as the familiar form of Zangetsu walked along the wall of the skyscraper towards his prone body.

_Can you hear it, Ichigo?_

The repeated question confused Ichigo. He knew that in the past, when he first gained his shinigami powers, that he was unable to hear Zangetsu's voice, but why was it that Zangetsu was now concerned about what he could hear? Unsure if this was the answer that his zanpakutou wanted, Ichigo replied-"What do you mean? I can hear your voice-"

_Not my voice._

Ichigo was surprised at the reply; after all, he had only heard Zangetsu's voice, that was what awoke him. Just in case, he turned his head in each direction, focusing as he tried to hear any other noise around his inner world. However, only silence greeted him, interrupted by the soft rippling noise from the ever present, almost breeze effect that flowed through Zangetsu's clothing, despite the fact that there was no wind in his inner world. Still confused, Ichigo simply replied-"I can't really hear anything else…"

Zangestu didn't reply after that, simply watching Ichigo with his complacent gaze. However, Ichigo got the feeling that his ever taciturn zanpakutou was perhaps uneasy about something, although what, he had no idea. Concerned slightly, he asked-"What exactly are you on about?"

…_Then all is well…_

"No it's not!"-Ichigo replied annoyed, knowing that whatever was wrong, Zangetsu was deliberately hiding it from him. However, with no attempt at explaining forthcoming, Ichigo said-"Oi, Old man!" hoping to once again get his zanpakutou to explain. However, Zangetsu remained silent, refusing to share whatever was worrying him with his Aruji.

* * *

(Squad 6 barracks)

"Howl, Zabimaru!"-Renji shouted out loudly, swinging his released blade out from him, the blade scything through the air as it sought out its target. However, Byakuya calmly stood his ground, easily blocking the Shikai with his own sealed sword without moving an inch, easily maintaining his grip on his blade as the prongs along the Shikai's whip length threatened to tear the blade out of his grip. With a quick shunpo step, the Captain suddenly vanished, surprising Renji as he reappeared in mid-air, blade ready to cut him down. Renji was barely able to bring his blade back from its extended form before Byakuya swung his blade at him. Renji just about managed to block the blade, before executing his own counter strike, shouting-"Take that!" in exhilaration. Byakuya was quickly forced onto the defensive from Renji's more aggressive strikes as he grinned, bearing down with all of his might on his blade, trying to force the Captain away with brute strength.

Rather than struggle against his foe's blade, Byakuya let the force of the swing push him back to instead gain an opening to release his own shikai, calmly intoning-"Scatter, Senbonzakura." Renji quickly realised his mistake at giving Byakuya a chance to open up the distance between him as his eyes widened, watching Byakuya's blade split into hundreds of miniscule pink blades, looking alike its namesake as petals. Gritting his teeth, Renji quickly brought his sword back into a guard pose as the tiny blades homed in on him, aiming not for his body, but deliberately for his sword.

Below, the assembled Squad 6 shinigami gasped in amazement as they watched the Captain start to overwhelm the Vice Captain, Renji flying away in midair as Senbonzakura's petals easily force back Zabimaru's edge. However, even though Renji was being forced back, Zabimaru's blade glowed anew with a red glow. Smirking once more, Renji bellowed out-"Bankai!"

Suddenly, Renji was seemingly covered in an explosion of reiatsu, a massive cloud of smoke hiding him from view as Byakuya brought Senbonzakura back in preparation for the next phase in the battle. Amongst the crowd, even the spectating 8th Squad Captain, Kyoraku, seemed slightly surprised at the summoning of a Bankai in a simple match. As the smoke cleared, a massive snake of bone roared in the sky as Renji landed below, the handle of the enormous Bankai at the ready as he declared-"Hihio Zabimaru!"

However, even as the crowd now cheered for the Vice captain, Byakuya was entirely unfazed, his wrist turning as he pointed his now reformed blade downwards, before releasing his grip. As the zanpakutou tip touched the floor, it sunk straight through with a ripple effect, before numerous huge blade sprung up all about Byakuya. "I had not forgotten about your Bankai, but, by using my hands with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, I can double its speed, your Bankai cannot possibly block mine with that slow speed." (1)-Byakuya impassively explained, as the huge blades all about him broke apart in turn, releasing millions of miniscule blades. Summoning the blades all about him to the ready with a flick of his wrist, Byakuya simply said-"Here I come"

_**Hear my voice!**_

Without warning, Byakuya lost control of one of the many million blades that he had summoned, that singular blade flying almost erratically and slashing into his own arm. Byakuya's eyes widened in shock as he noticed the cut on his arm, the idea of losing control of his Bankai completely alien to him since he had mastered it so long ago, it could almost be considered impossible. Noticing the slip up of concentration, Renji took the opening, shouting as he swung his Bankai to the ready.

With no time to contemplate what just happened, Byakuya instead concentrated on the battle, bringing his Bankai back under control and sending it forward with a lunging motion to attack. Like he thought, Renji wasn't ready for the speed of his directly controlled Bankai and was forced to jump up to escape. Byakuya quickly swung his arm upward, directing his Bankai to give chase. Realising there was no way he could escape it, Renji brought his Bankai around him, layer after layer of bone wrapping about him in a sphere as it blocked Byakuya's attack.

However, even trapped within the sphere, Renji wasn't about to give up, with a defiant shout, he summoned all of his reiatsu as he shouted-"Hikotsu Taihou!" His Bankai, now reinforced with all of his reiatsu, broke through Byakuya's attack as the super charged reiatsu flew throughout its connecting segments. With an almighty roar, the Bankai unleashed it's attack, a huge blast of red reiatsu flying at incredible speed towards Byakuya. However, Byakuya merely raised his arm upwards once more, summoning a seeming wall of giant blades before him to shield him from the blast.

As the blast impacted upon the wall, the shockwaves caused several spectating shinigami to fall over, even the stronger ones had to brace for the impact of the shockwaves. As the dust once again settled, Renji landed nearby, ready to continue the battle. However, after several seconds, Byakuya still didn't move to defend himself or continue the battle, indicating that the fight was over. Smirking, Renji stood tall as he watched his Captain, noting-"You used your Bankai!"

However, Byakuya didn't respond, just resealing his sword before staring intently at the blade held before him. Surprised, Renji walked over to him, a concerned expression now on his features as he asked-"Taichou, is there something wrong?" Byakuya seemed to pause for a moment, before simply replying-"No."

* * *

(Squad 11 barracks)

The grounds practically shook from the calamitous impact of blade on blade, each blow strong enough to destroy the barracks the two duelled within with ease. To say this was a duel was perhaps the wrong word, this was closer to a restrained battle to the death, the reiatsu emerging from one of the two Captains present radiating bloodlust and killing intent in such waves even some of the Squad 11 members who watched feared for their lives as they watched wide eyed at the battle between the two men before them. To think this was their Captain when he wasn't purely focused on killing the target was outrageous, for this was not meant to be a battle to the death, but a sparring match between the two.

However, what was more amazing was how Zaraki's foe was withstanding the waves of reiatsu and still countering with equal strength to each blow Zaraki gave, without even releasing a Shikai to keep up. As once again the two combatants broke apart, the distance opening up between the two as Zaraki's feet dug trenches straight through the solid stone beneath him, his opponent back flipping in the opposite direction, spinning in mid-air as he recovered from the backlash of their last ferocious blow. With practised ease, the Captain corrected his fall, landing softly on the ground at the opposite edge of the open courtyard of the 11th Squad.

Opposite him, Kenpachi was giving a ferocious laugh, his head tilted back to the sky as he bellowed out, lost in the ecstasy of battle. He was slightly pissed that he had yet to score a blow on the enemy before him, but the battle was more than worth it, his foe matching blow for blow with equal, if not at times superior force. Neither Captain had yet to take a wound, despite Zaraki giving his all to smash through his opponent's guard, his foe stopping every blow with pure force as well. This was no practiced battle, where each combatant used all of his skill to overwhelm the other. This was a brawl, a battle where both strived to overpower the other with sheer brute force, and Kenpachi loved every moment of it.

Opposite Kenpachi, his opponent breathed out slowly as he corrected his stance, preparing for the next clash. Just as he had expected, Kenpachi was making this a gruelling battle, by keeping back everything but brute strength in their battle, Yoshirou was hard pressed to keep up with the almost monster like power of his foe. **And to think, his attacks just keep getting more powerful with each time we clash, I'm starting to wonder whether I'll need to release some more of my power to match** Yoshirou pondered, mentally counting the number of arm bands that still adorned his arm.

In order to make this battle worth his while as practice, Yoshirou had gauged that in order to keep up with Kenpachi in terms of reiatsu with Kenpachi using his seal and Yoshirou keeping his own sword sealed to match, he would need about 40% of his reiatsu released, as such three bands still wrapped about his arm, sealing effectively 60% of his total reiatsu.

While if he had been battling with all of his techniques and his Shikai, 40% would have easily overwhelmed Kenpachi's sealed strength by this point, he was using this battle to practice his Zanjustu alone on an equal strength foe. Since his training with Yamamoto, he didn't think any Captain could easily match him in terms of pure brute strength any more despite the Sou Taichou himself, but memories of the devastation that Zaraki had brought about during the Ryoka Invasion had peaked his curiosity.

Out of all the Captains of Soul Society, it was easy to say in terms of brute might, Zaraki Kenpachi was in a league of his own, not even Komamura could possibly match Kenpachi's overbearing reiatsu with a sealed sword. Thanks to the ridiculous training he had gone through under Yamamoto's tutelage, Yoshirou's reiatsu had also grown to new heights, his bands no longer able to effectively hide his presence, as even sealed the power he put out could easily shame a Vice Captain. However, in order to practice his Zanjustu, he would need a foe who could also put out the same kind of power, and he had gotten sick of the rather one sided battles he always had against Yamamoto when he didn't use his Bankai in training.

**That old monster, to think even with Bankai I'm only just a match for his Shikai almost sounds ridiculous** Yoshirou thought, a wry smile on his face as he remembered the numerous beatings he had already suffered at the old mans hands. Across the way, Zaraki finished his roaring laughter, his breath spent. However, his attention didn't return to Yoshirou surprisingly, instead taking his sword and seemingly cutting the air, almost as if testing his muscles.

With one sharp movement, Kenpachi drew the blade back, a move to test the strength of his draw, but the result was amazing, the ground seemingly splitting along the path of his blade, crumpling beneath his feet from the shock of the movement throughout his body transmitted to the floor. This drew a collective gasp of amazement from the audience, even the spectating fifth seat, Yumichika, drew an eyebrow up in surprise, murmuring in half surprise-"Splitting the ground with that motion? Is that even possible?" Beside him, his partner in crime Ikkaku, simply barked out with laughter, before shouting out-"That's our Taichou for ya! Go Taichou!" Soon enough, the cheer erupted into roars of support from the burly misfit gang that represented Squad 11's finest, shouting the support for their Captain.

Yoshirou just sighed slightly at the ridiculous show of power. He knew the rumours of the mighty 11th Division Captains strength, but to see it in action before him was another thing. **There's no doubt, it sounds impossible, but his strength is actually increasing the more we fight, he's not tiring, he's getting more and more stronger **Yoshirou concluded as Kenpachi turned his head to face him, a fierce smile spread across his features. "Man, it's been a long time since I fought anyone with enough power to easily match my blows!"-Kenpachi said over to his foe, swinging his long serrated blade up onto his shoulder, his maniacal grin not slipping once. "Well, glad we've managed to get past the warm up, now…" Kenpachi raised his hand up in Yoshirou's direction, beckoning with his finger as if taunting. "Let's go another round!"

"Your serious? That's your power without even being warmed up?"-Yoshirou asked incredulously, shaking his head almost in disbelief. Kenpachi didn't bother to reply, he just simply swung his sword down from his shoulder. A loud crack announced the stone underneath his feet being shattered, the force of his swing going through the air and into the ground below, as if just to confirm to Yoshirou's eyes just what he meant. Yoshirou only breathed out slowly as he focused once more on his opponent. Kenpachi just grinned, before beckoning once again for Yoshirou to attack. Unbidden by his own will, Yoshirou's lip tugged up at the corner in a smirk of defiance as he tensed his legs, crouching low as he prepared to leap forward, straight for the foe before him.

**_Hear my voice!_**

Yoshirou froze instantly, his eyes widening in surprise as he lost his focus on the battle, the voice ringing through his thoughts. **What was that?** Yoshirou asked inside his own mind, lifting one hand to touch his temple lightly as he tried to focus on what he had just heard. There was no doubt that whatever that voice was, it was within his own head, but he had never heard that voice before, of that he was sure.

**Taiyou, was that Tengoku? I thought he was dormant, did he call out?** Yoshirou questioned once more, although he had only met the former Light Zanpakutou once, he was pretty sure that the voices didn't match. However, he didn't get the chance to hear any kind of reply from his sword, instead a jingle of bells floating behind him as a rough voice scarily close roared-"Get back in the fight, boy!"

Yoshirou barely had time to react, swinging his sword up and over his shoulder into guard as a meteoric blow struck for his body, instantly ramming his sword down to press painfully against his shoulder as he blocked the killing strike from the 11th division Captain. Cursing quietly under his breath, Yoshirou put a second hand to the blade handle, forcing the weight upwards as he pivoted, the blade passing overhead before he twisted his zanpakutou's direction, metallic screeches sounding out as blade grated against blade, Kenpachi's sword forced down along with Yoshirou's own as he directed the force away and to the ground, both blade tips hitting the ground with more than enough force to split the tiles below their feet, both men breaking away from one another as the ground below them cracked and shattered, chips of stone flying through the air to cut trails through both men's clothing.

Neither noticed this as they respectively drew their blades in, even as they jumped apart. As soon as the tips of their sandels hit the floor, both Kenpachi and Yoshirou kicked off with almighty impacts on the floor, rising skywards instead, Kenpachi roaring out his battle cry as his sword swept through the air, both hands gripped tightly upon the blade, cutting down with a screeching cry as Yoshirou swept his blade upwards with all his might to counter. Once again, blade met upon blade, the sheer impact creating a wall of pressure that whipped the wind into a frenzy, both men's reiatsu exploding outwards in respective force, yellow against gold as Captain clashed against Captain, zanpakutou battling for supremacy with nothing but pure power.

Below them, even though the majority of the squad had been knocked flying by the impact of the wind, the 11th squad lackeys roared with almost bloodlust at the titanic clash between Captains. However, one figure remained silent as he watched, unnoticed by any there, even to Yoshirou's supreme sensing capability, the man watching silently the progress of both his students, wizened frame resting slightly on the cane that represented his sealed blade. However, his eyebrows had furrowed slightly, moments before the battle had recommenced, he had seen the sudden halt of Yoshirou's movements, although why he had hesitated was what had concerned the man.

Even if he faced the 11th Division Captain, he knew a pupil of his would not be fazed by the wild reiatsu of Zaraki Kenpachi, after all, Yoshirou had time and time again been almost bathed within the almighty power of Ryujjin Jakka, and not once hesitated. However, something had caused him to stop, and what it was, he didn't know. Even now, something within Yoshirou was distracted, enough that even with the considerable training he had gone through, it was now Yoshirou who plummeted to the earth, the Kendo that Yamamoto had almost beaten into Kenpachi overwhelming him with it's pure force, Yoshirou barely holding his blade in place as he flew backwards, Kenpachi following with a bloodthirsty shout, not giving him a moment to recover, Kenpachi already lost within his battle lust.

"It would seem he still needs more training."-the wizened old man murmured under his breath, turning his back to the battle even as blade met blade once more in a cataclysmic showdown. Without looking back, the old man seemingly vanished.

**Crap!** Yoshirou thought mentally as he impacted with the ground, the damaged tiles now totally annihilated as the earth was torn below him, instantly sinking within a deep crater as he coughed out instinctively, the air belted out from his body from the force of impact. He hadn't expected that there would have been such a difference if Kenpachi grasped his blade with both hands, already distracted by what had happened before, he didn't notice the huge increment of force in Kenpachi's blade until it had actually impacted with his own, even though he poured out all of his unrestrained reiatsu, he had barely been able to stop Kenpachi's blade from cutting straight into him, his arms sore, feeling as though merely the effort of holding his blade in place against that attack had torn his muscles from his bones. Even as he had tried to recover, Kenpachi had attacked again, smashing him downwards with the second meteoric impact and straight into the ground.

"What the, is that all?"-Kenpachi suddenly announced from nearby, his figure descending through the cloud of debris that had blocked Yoshirou from his view after he impacted with the ground. Yoshirou grimaced slightly as the dust parted, revealing the intimidating Captain for him to see clearly, his blade hold loosely to his side as he landed nearby the crater, eyebrow raised almost cynically as he regarded Yoshirou stuck in the dirt. Yoshirou growled slightly in annoyance, flexing one shoulder to break his sword arm free of the stone, before taking a deep breath.

Kenpachi waited with a surprising silence as the dust finally parted completely, revealing to the onlookers the scene of him lying in the crater with their captain standing over him. Even as the roar of approval started up once again, Kenpachi ignored them, instead waiting, a grin slowly spreading across his face as he anticipated the answer to his challenge. Yoshirou didn't disappoint, turning his face to regard Kenpachi with a grin of his own, asking-"What do you think?"

Kenpachi threw back his head, roaring out with laughter once again, surprising the onlookers into silence, having believed the battle was already won. "I think you're still game for a few rounds yet!"-Kenpachi replied as he brought his head back to level with Yoshirou, or more where Yoshirou had been trapped in the dirt, now only an explosion of flying stone as Yoshirou flew out of the hole at breakneck speed, blade lowered to strike upwards at the Captains body, Kenpachi roaring with approval as his sword descended to clash with Yoshirou once more.

* * *

**Well, that's a wrap. Sorry if it seems a bit inadequete, perhaps even random to do a Yoshirou vs Kenpachi bout, but i'll go into more depth of it in the next chapter. The reason why i've done it is because Kenpachi was practically invisible for a long time in the anime arc, due to Muramasa obviously not summoning him at the very start since he has no Zanpakutou, he would only give the shinigami an advantage to be at Soukyoku at the start, as such I want to do a little start piece between him and Yoshirou. Also, I delibrately needed a battle to be here since Yoshirou has such an insane connection to his zanpakutou, things would be a bit odd if he was affected and not distracted, as thus I put it that he was unable to figure it out because he was otherwise occupied when he heard Muramasa's voice (hope that doesn't confuse people, yes Yoshirou could hear Muramasa, no he won't fall under his influence, he only heard it due to how he is always mentally connected to his zanpakutou's thoughts)**

**Anyhow, that's all for now, see ya all next chapter! As always, please rate and review, any questions and i'm more than willing to answer them!**

**(1) Yeah, I know, he didn't really say that in the anime, but I felt that what he said in the anime did not sound as right, the translation was "I hadn't forgotten about that. But I can double Senbonzakura's speed by controlling it directly with my hands. Your slow Bankai won't be able to block it."**


	41. Chapter 38 Zanpakutou Tales 3

**Okay, this was pretty quick, so sorry if there's mistakes. Also, I kinda made Kenpachi a bit OOC for this chapter, reason being that I wanted to try and split Yoshirou and Kenpachi temporarily from contact with everyone, and also wanted a reason for Yoshirou to continue to not suspect something was wrong with his zanpakutou, as such I had to make a particular scenario for it to work, it may sound out of place, but I did my best XP**

**Anyhow, read on!**

* * *

The walls of the mess hall practically vibrated from the loud raucous shouts of a multitude of drunk men bawling bawdy tunes as they ate. The hall was filled with good cheer after the events of that afternoon, after all it was rare that the battle loving men of this squad got to see their Captain truly let loose in battle, and it had been a magnificent spectacle. No one's mind was on the fact that half of the wide courtyard within the 11th division's grounds had been reduced to rubble during the battle, the work undoubtedly going to be left to the poor 4th Squad members who would have to take the unenviable duty of repairing the godly damage within their grounds due to the high unlikeness that the 11th Division men would bother.

Instead, spirits were high as ugly man after ugly man downed massive pitchers of spirits, not one care in the world as to the blinding storm of hangovers hanging on the horizon. Only a few men there had the presence not to drink themselves to stupidity, namely the higher echelon of the seated squad members, Yumichika merely sipping from a small bowl of sake as he sat beside his partner Ikkaku, who was instead gorging himself on a massive rack of ribs, one of many plates (strangely enough, all of meat) that adorned the tables. Nearby, Kenpachi sat surprisingly still, not taken in by the atmosphere of the drunks, looking bored now that he no longer had his sword in hand and an enemy to fight, causing the guest of honour, placed beside the massive Captain to feel slightly nervous that perhaps he was about to get another challenge just to break the giant's boredom.

**Why on earth didn't I just excuse myself after the fight? **Yoshirou was wondering for perhaps the fiftieth that time already that hour, regretting taking the Captain's invitation following their fight as he once again tried to plug his ears from all the noise that filled the mess hall. Not only did the entire squad act a mess at meal times, but it seemed as if they ate nothing but meat, just about every kind of animal imaginable had been cooked in a condition that was best surmised as ranging from burnt, to badly burnt. That and it seemed water was a non-existent commodity amongst these men, nothing but pitcher after pitcher of alcohol was available to have, and he already knew from just looking at the pitcher that was closest that this stuff was the kind of raw spirits that would probably burn the almighty hell out of any bodies throat who wasn't used to drinking them.

**Trust a squad filled with only men to be able to put up with meals like this…** Yoshirou thought to himself, just one glance about the hall and he could already tell that they might as well be at a tavern than a squad hall for the mess the men were making of themselves. Having already lost his appetite at the sight of the men gorging themselves messily on meat and alcohol, Yoshirou was only able to sit silently, hoping that the man beside him didn't get any ideas about dragging him outside for another fight. His muscles still ached from the battle, even if he had been unwounded, the battle had dragged on for hours, Kenpachi seemingly having absolutely limitless stamina alongside his ridiculous reiatsu, he was starting to see exactly why Kurosaki ran for it every time Kenpachi homed in on him, now that he had actually fought him, he could see that Kenpachi indeed deserved his title of a monster.

"Oi, you just going to sit there all night or what?"-a gruff voice suddenly shocked him from his thoughts. Yoshirou jumped with surprise as he realised he was being regarded out of the corner of one of the giants eyes, staring down at him from his much taller stature. Yoshirou laughed weakly, replying-"Oh, I'm just not feeling all that hungry." Kenpachi merely grunted in reply, before saying-"I get ya, that little scrap wasn't tiring in the slightest, I need some more exercise before I feel hungry myself." **Uh oh…** Yoshirou thought, having a pretty decent idea about what Kenpachi was getting at. However, they were both interrupted by a loud child like laugh, Yoshirou suddenly realising he felt a light pressure on the top of his head. Rolling his eyes, he realised that once again, the little 11th Squad Vice Captain held no regard on what she stepped on to get around.

Just as he thought, balancing neatly on the top of his head was the said Vice Captain, beaming happily as she realised that by making use of Yoshirou's rather tall height, she could actually look down at Kenpachi instead of looking up, this discovery being the source of her laughter. "Hiya Yoshi-kun!"-Yachiru announced happily, kneeling now atop his head as she bent over, now entering Yoshirou's vision upside down with a huge beaming smile on her face. Yoshirou wasn't sure whether to feel annoyed that his head was being used as a standing post, or glad that Yachiru's timely arrival had perhaps interrupted Kenpachi from dragging him outside for a rematch.

"Hi to you as well Yachiru, now do you feel like perhaps getting off of my head?"-Yoshirou asked back. It wasn't that her weight was causing his neck problems, he could barely feel the weight of the girl, it was more that trying to talk to someone who was hanging upside down in his vision was rather confusing. Yachiru's smile fell, instead replying-"Aww, but it's nice up here, I can see everybody and Ken-chan from here!" Luckily, Yoshirou already knew of a way to resolve this situation, a trick that he had recently learnt from Byakuya that he had made use of to silence the excitable girl (1).

Reaching into his robes, hoping to god it hadn't been crushed in the fight with Kenpachi, he managed to find the small packet that he had bought from one of the stalls in the Seijōtōkyorin for exactly this purpose. **Thank god they are still alright…**Yoshirou thought with relief as he opened the packet, producing what had been hiding inside. Instantly the girl's vision homed into what was in his hand, eyes widening excitedly at what she saw.

Yoshirou barely got the chance to open his mouth, to try and offer the item in exchange for her getting off his head, before he realised not only was the weight off his head, but the item in his right hand, and the bag that was filled with the rest of them in his left hand had also vanished, Yachiru announcing her cry of victory as she reappeared atop Kenpachi's shoulders, the criminal holding both items she had managed to grab without him even noticing. Kenpachi's eyes moved up to regard his Vice Captain as she instantly stuffed the first manju in her mouth with a satisfied smile, saying-"Oi Yachiru, don't go stealing his stuff without permission."

Yachiru somehow swallowed the entire manju whole despite her rather small face, before defensively crying-"But Ken-chan, Yoshi-kun was going to give them to me anyway!" Yoshirou was still rather surprised that the diminutive Vice Captain had managed all of that without him barely noticing her movements, but he recovered quickly, laughing slightly as he told Kenpachi-"It's alright, I brought them for her anyway." Kenpachi just grunted in reply as Yachiru finished swallowing her already second manju, before happily saying-"Thankie, Yoshi-kun!"

However, Kenpachi surprised both of them, suddenly rising from the table they were sat at, causing Yachiru to grab his shoulder for support, desperately trying to keep her hands on the goodies she had won from Yoshirou. "Hey Taichou, where you off ta?"-Ikkaku called from nearby, noticing the hard to miss movement from the huge man. "Going outside."- was the short reply that Kenpachi gave, before looking back, fixing his stare on Yoshirou, adding-"You comin?"

Surprised, and suspicious, Yoshirou was half tempted to say no, but he had also had his fill of the drunk atmosphere that hung around the mess hall, even a second fight with the Captain seemed preferable to hanging around here much longer, so he shrugged his shoulders in defeat, rising himself in turn as he replied-"Sure, why not."

* * *

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou was surprised, not only had Kenpachi not attacked him the moment they stepped outside, nor at any time while they walked or before they had sat down on the veranda of the 11th Division training hall, but now, he had just asked him the one question he had never expected he would ever hear from the man known as the berserker of the Gotei 13.

"How do ya deal with your Zanpakutou?"

"What?"-Yoshirou asked back in surprise, watching the giant for his reply while Yachiru was chasing an insect she had found for fun. Kenpachi seemed to growl with annoyance at the question, before replying-"I said, how do ya deal with it?" Yoshirou shook his head in exasperation. "And I'm still asking, what are you trying to ask? Deal with your zanpakutou? That's about as vague as it gets, how on earth could I answer that without knowing what you mean?"

As if in response to this, Kenpachi moved, slowly drawing his zanpakutou, before holding it before him, the blade glinting in the moonlight. Now Yoshirou could get a good look at the blade, he could tell something was wrong with the blade. Although he doubted from Kenpachi's question that he could hear it, Yoshirou could hear it. The blade was keening, ever so quietly, yet the noise was full of discord, no blade, even an asauchi, would ring like that, it was a call of a sword that was completely at odds with the one who wielded it.

The noise, although infinitesimally quiet, hurt his ears like a howling screech. Yoshirou drew a slow breath as he tried to block out the noise. He was surprised that any blade could sound like that, it had been a long time since he had heard anything alike it, it was the same sound that he had heard when he first tried to contact his own zanpakutou within his own soul, that screech had rung throughout his own soul as well when he had first met the Light Zanpakutou, moments before his blade had almost exploded in his own hands from whatever force had caused it.

**What do you think, Taiyou?** Yoshirou asked internally. As far as he could see, Kenpachi's sword was in the same state, but perhaps the ratio of Kenpachi's ridiculous power kept his sword from reacting the same way his had. **Taiyou?** Yoshirou asked again, surprised that she hadn't replied straight away. However, no voice replied inside his own mind.

Yoshirou guessed that he was right then, this noise was the same, enough that Taiyou didn't want to answer. Rather than continue trying to ask his zanpakutou more, he decided to not push for a reply, instead bringing his attention back to Kenpachi instead. Yoshirou was a bit hesitant before he said his next words, unsure as to how Kenpachi would reply, but he asked-"What is your Zanpakutou to you?"

"A tool."-Kenpachi instantly replied. Silence seemed to stretch between the two as Kenpachi stared down at his own blade in silence, before continuing-"At least, that's what I used to think. Now I don't know what it is, that's why I'm askin ya." Yoshirou sighed, more in relief than anything after hearing Kenpachi's answer. He had expected the reply of a tool, but he was glad to know that Kenpachi was perhaps thinking more on it than just that.

"Have you ever heard a voice in your dreams, Kenpachi?"-Yoshirou asked. "Huh?"-Kenpachi growled back, raising an eyebrow as if asking was he mocking him. Yoshirou quickly raised his hands in defense, defending himself by saying-"Your Zanpakutou has a soul of its own, and it tries it's best to contact you, but at first, you have no hope of hearing it, the best time that your most reticent to hear the call is when you either dream, or if you are unconscious. For most shinigami, they can hear whispers of words in visions and dreams, that's the first sign that a person may be starting to hear contact from their zanpakutou. Most likely, it won't even be distinct enough to call words at first, but perhaps even you have heard a whisper maybe?"

Kenpachi's stare returned once more to his sword, before casually replying-"Nah, my dreams are only ever filled with battle, killing and death, I have never heard another noise other than the shouts of battle cries, the ringing of metal or the screams of the dying." Yoshirou's eyes opened widely in shock, what Kenpachi was casually describing as his dreams sounded like the stuff of nightmares.** I guess that's the difference between one who lives for battle and the rest of the world** Yoshirou summarised, but couldn't help gulping nervously at the thought.

"So, you're not even near to hearing your zanpakutou's thoughts then…"-Yoshirou said quietly, trying to dispel the grim images Kenpachi's words had caused in his mind. Kenpachi just grunted in reply, before moving to sheath his sword once again, muttering-"It's probably never gonna try talkin, even if that's what it can do." **It?** Yoshirou wondered, before realising something. "Wait, Kenpachi."-Yoshirou suddenly said. Kenpachi turned his head slightly to look at him, pausing in the motion of sheathing his sword.

"You said *It*. You called your zanpakutou *It*, why?"-Yoshirou asked. Kenpachi paused for a second, before suddenly redrawing his blade once more, answering-"Isn't that what it is? It's a sword, a weapon, ain't it?" Yoshirou shook his head in reply, answering-"That's a common mistake for unseated shinigami, to conceptualise your zanpakutou as nothing but a weapon, even if you acknowledge it has a soul, as long as you primarily see it as a weapon, it's going to make it harder."

"Hah?"-Kenpachi said, not understanding what Yoshirou was getting at. In reply, Yoshirou drew his own blade, placing it across his knees as well. "Would you be surprised if I said my Zanpakutou is a *she*? To me, Taiyoukousen is not *It*, she is *She*."-Yoshirou tried to explain. Kenpachi raised an eyebrow again, asking-"Do ya mean like how ya might say a vessel is *she*? How does that change anythin? Would that make any difference if I called my sword *she*? I think that sounds like bullshit."

Yoshirou was surprised at the reply, he had expected confusion, but Kenpachi had come up with an answer he hadn't expected. "No, it's not the same thing, Taiyoukousen has a soul, a form, even if you see a sword, I see my partner before me, it's more than simply giving it a title on emotion, Taiyoukousen is *she*, she speaks to me, has a will of her own, her own understanding of the world about me. Taiyoukousen is not my *weapon*, she is my *partner*. It would be the same as if you called Yachiru *it*, you can't, Yachiru is *she*, so how is it any different to your zanpakutou?"

Kenpachi regarded him in silence for a whole minute, almost judging the worth of his words. Yoshirou wasn't sure if the Captain still thought he was mocking him or being serious any more. However, after the minute, he concentrated back on his blade, holding it up to the moonlight once more as he peered at his reflection on the flat of the battered, damaged blade edge. "*Partner*, huh?"-Kenpachi muttered as he looked at the sword. Yoshirou was surprised at the result of Kenpachi merely saying these words.

Although he doubted highly Kenpachi could tell, the eerie keen of discord that his blade had been emitting died down fractionally. It still sounded awful and painful to hear, but the magnitude had gone down slightly, as if Kenpachi's conscious thought of perhaps taking his blade to be a partner rather than a weapon seriously had caused a monumental change in the balance of the blade. It could have been just his eyes, but Yoshirou thought the reflection that he could see of Kenpachi's face upon the blade edge was slightly brighter than it had been moments before.

"So, you're my partner instead huh? Still hard to think of it that way, but I can give it a shot I guess."-Kenpachi muttered as he moved to sheath the sword. Nearby, Yachiru watched the two silently, having abandoned her interest earlier to watch the interaction between the two captains. As Kenpachi finished sheathing the blade, he suddenly laid back, staring up at the moon instead. "Oi Yoshirou, when's the next battle gonna be then? I'm gonna see how much of a difference this is gonna have now."-Kenpachi muttered as he looked skyward. Yoshirou laughed, replying-"Hell if I know, hopefully not for a while in my liking, I wouldn't mind getting some rest for once in a while."

Kenpachi just grinned wolfishly, replying-"Ya know, heard a saying once, Karma's a bitch, now you've said that, there's gonna be a battle for sure, I can taste it in the air." Yoshirou just laughed nervously, joining the Captain in lying back, looking skyward as he said-"Ah damn it, I hope I haven't jinxed things now." Kenpachi laughed loudly in reply, both men not noticing the cloud of hell butterflies that flew past the opposite side of the training hall, a sign of change that was coming rapidly.

* * *

**Anyhow, that's a wrap! Really short chapter compared to normal, less than 3000 words 0.0. Still, it's because i'm probably not going to update for quite a while, lots of deadlines coming up for the first semester so I will be kept busy. Sorry once again if Kenpachi seems OOC, but I wanted to bridge an important gap in the series, at what point did Kenpachi start referring to his zanpakutou as *he*? As such, i figured adding it into the Z Tales arc would be pretty fun, also explains why Kenpachi suddenly seemed beastly powerful in this arc compared to before, if I add a bit to do with him starting to work on his zanpakutou, it might add more fun to it XP.**

**Anyhow, seeya all whenever I manage to get the tiem to update next! As always, reviews and critical analysis are welcomed! Any questions and i will do my best to answer!**

**(1) Dunno which one, but watch the Shinigami Diary endings, in the one where he has to stand in for Rukia in a meeting, he was accosted by Yachiru, but he defeated the girl in an instant with this method.**


	42. Chapter 39 Zanpakutou Tales 4

**Hey all, only a quick Chapter this time, kinda low on idea's, but since I was putting out work for the Naruto story, I figured I should do my best to put out one for the Bleach story too, hope you all enjoy!**

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"Haa, what a blast!"-Ikkaku exclaimed loudly as he sat upon the steps outside the mess hall of the 11th Division, casually swinging a large jar up to his lips as he drunk the raw spirits inside. Behind him, his partner sighed as he leaned against the door frame, chuckling quietly as he replied-"Indeed, today has been rather interesting to say the least." As he finished another slug of alcohol, Ikkaku leaned back in content, a loud belch exclaiming his appreciation of his drink, before laughing, saying-"Damn right it was, I mean who in their right mind waltzes right into our division and challenges our Captain right in his face? I swear, it's been easily been a century since anybody was brazen enough to do that and live!"

Yumichika nodded in return to his friends words, raising his eyes to the sky as he regarded the pale moon, a slight smile on his lips as he remembered the event. "I have to say, it's been a long time since I've seen Zaraki-Taichou so happy, he even invited Kenshin-Taichou to join us for the afternoon, I don't think I've ever seen him do that with anybody."-Yumichika murmured quietly, earning another loud laugh from his bald headed companion, Ikkaku shouting out-"Of course he would be, I don't think I've ever seen anyone fight Zaraki-Taichou on even grounds like that!"

Yumichika just sighed in the face of his partner drunken exuberance, running a hand through his sleek hair, but not able to keep the smile from his lips. A thought suddenly sprung back to his mind as he looked down at Ikkaku, asking-"So are you still planning to have that rematch with Kenshin-Taichou?" Ikkaku continued bellowing out his laughter, taking another swig of alcohol for good measures as he replied-"Damn straight! After seeing that fight I'm even more pumped up to fight him, course he's probably going to beat my ass seven different shades of black, but no way in hell am I taking back that challenge!"

Yumichika could only shake his head in mock despair at his partner's gung ho reply, but he knew that nothing in this world or the next would stop him from being there to watch that rematch between the 3rd seat and the former 3rd seat-turn-Captain. However, Ikkaku turned sullen suddenly, grumbling-"Damn that Aizen-teme for getting in the way though, our rematch is on hold until that bastard is dealt with! Seriously, most fun I'm possibly going to have for the next century and that asshole messes it up for me, hope he burns in hell!"

"Now now, Ikkaku, just think about it this way."-Yumichika placated his comrade. "Because of his betrayal, Kenshin-Taichou stepped up his training, and has been getting stronger and stronger at a phenomenal rate, you could tell couldn't you? He's worlds apart from how he was when you two sparred in the dojo a few months ago, now are you saying you would have been satisfied with just fighting the 3rd Seat Yoshirou's powers if you knew his potential to be stronger with a little *inspiration* was this much?"

Ikkaku paused for a moment, letting the thoughts penetrate his drunken thoughts, before grinning widely in turn, turning back to look at his partner with a huge drunken smile plastered across his face, replying-"Ya know what, your damn right! Guess that bastard was good for something after all then!" Turning back to the night sky, Ikkaku raised his jar to drink one more, before exclaiming with dismay as only a drip or two flowed out. With a quick movement, he dashed the jar against the ground, leaving a pile of broken clay before rising. After a quick stretch, he loudly shouted out-"Yosh, c'mon Yumichika let's get some more drink! I'm not gonna stop tonight until I hit the deck face first!"

Yumichika just smiled knowingly as he pushed himself away from the door frame he had been leaning on. However, as Ikkaku started back towards the mess hall and Yumichika was about to turn into the doorway, he noticed something fluttering nearby, coming down from the darkness with a small trail of reishi floating brightly behind it, a tiny bell like chime coming to Yumichika's hearing. It seemed he wasn't the only one who heard the chime, as a second butterfly floated alongside the first, Ikkaku turned back to the courtyard as well, snapping out of his drunken stupor as he was instantly serious.

* * *

(P.O.V change)

Yoshirou watched with surprise as he saw a hell butterfly approach from the distance, his eyes easily picking it out even through the darkness due to his trait of seeing perfectly in any situation. Beside him, Kenpachi seemed to hear his movement, turning his solitary eye to look at the Captain, before following his gaze into the distance, then growling in annoyance. Kenpachi closed his eye, ignoring the butterfly's approach as beside him, Yoshirou curled his stomach muscles in, before fluently flipping up to his feet.

Bored of her chase of the insects, Yachiru noticed the sudden movement, calling up-"Yoshi-kun?" From his still lying position, Kenpachi growled out to the little girl-"Ignore him, seems he's got some business to deal with." However, as the butterfly drew closer, Yoshirou started to doubt it was for him, he couldn't hear the almost telekinetic chime warning that came to alert a shinigami that a hell butterfly was inbound with a message. Instead, Kenpachi grunted, raising his torso from the floor as the butterfly changed course, instead flying for him.

**Why are there orders coming out to Captain's at this time of night**? Yoshirou wondered as Yachiru finally spotted the incoming Hell Butterfly, crying out in childish delight as she set to chasing it down. Fortunately, her charge was interrupted by a small stone, causing her to give out a cry of surprise as she dived headfirst into the soft grass beneath her. By the time he managed to pick herself back up, complaining loudly as she tried to spit out the grass she had accidentally gotten into her mouth, the Hell Butterfly had managed it's flight without any untimely interruptions, and landed softly on Kenpachi's shoulder.

"Tch, what a pain in the ass…"-Kenpachi growled as the butterfly took flight once more, it's message delivered telekinetically to the Captain, before he suddenly rose completely, shouting out-"Oi Yachiru, we got work to do!"

"Eh? What's happening for you to be summoned?"-Yoshirou asked in surprise as Yachiru ran up from the grassy area, easily hopping up onto the veranda, and from their jumping high up onto Kenpachi's shoulder with a giggle, taking her customary place while shouting-"Let's go Ken-chan!"

Kenpachi growled out in seeming annoyance, before answering-"Hollow clean up, seems a couple managed to get in by the east section of Seireitei." **Hollow clean up?** Yoshirou wondered with surprise. Such a mission as dealing with ordinary hollow's would normally never be given out to a Captain unless the hollows were Gillian or above, and even then it would be directed to the Vice Captains unless Adjuchas or above, something that hadn't happened in centuries. What made it more confusing was the order came to this division; they were almost on opposite ends of the Seireitei, making it unwise to deliver such a mission to the directionally challenged 11th division Captain.

Kenpachi seemingly didn't notice Yoshirou's sudden lapse into thought, instead twisting his neck left and right, causing the tendons in his neck to crack loudly as he complained-"It's a shitty job alright, but I need to loosen up my muscles anyway, still a tad sore from fighting for so long." At this, Kenpachi regarded the younger looking Captain with a wolfish, almost predatory smile as he said-"First time in a century that I had a battle that lasted for a good few hours, need to get used to it again, especially if we are going to be killing Aizen in a few months' time."

Yoshirou nodded in reply, trying to ignore the savage expression on the Captain's face. Turning away, Yoshirou said-"Well, today was pretty fun, might go for another round some other time but you had best get going-" However, halfway through his words, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, an iron grip holding him place as the Captain gruffly said-"Oi, you're coming too!"

Yoshirou was half tempted to break the grip on his body and make a run for it, but he knew the Captain all too well, Kenpachi would definitely give chase across half of Seireitei if he tried running now, and while he was pretty confident he could escape the Captain, while the chase was on those hollow's would continue to wreak havoc. As he breathed out in defeat, another reason presented itself to him. They were indeed on the wrong side of Seireitei, and without somebody to guide him, Kenpachi would obviously get lost, leaving the Hollows without a person to clean them up.

With a sigh of defeat, Yoshirou relented, saying-"Alright you win, I'll come along too, just we are following my directions, not that *intuition* of yours!" Kenpachi didn't even register the potential insult, he knew just as much as everybody else did that he sucked in directions, and was pretty suspicious the guide he kept on his shoulder sucked just as badly. Releasing his grip on the Kidou Captain's Haori, Kenpachi grunted in agreement, before gruffly saying-"Well, let's get a move on then, I've got stuff to kill."

* * *

(P.O.V)

Unnoticed to the Shinigami Captains, on the rooftop of a storage warehouse nearby, a pair of individuals watched them from afar. "Keh, so these are the two Captains Muramasa wants out of the way?"-The leaner of the two individuals said disappointedly. This person stood as though he was human, thin arms casually hefting a giant Kusurigama in each hand, both connected by a long chain that looked deceptively short all things considered. However, it was easy to tell he couldn't be human from the rest of him, his body almost like a three dimensional human shaped shadow outlined in red, covered slightly with dark grey strips of cloth across his shoulders, legs, and arms, leaving an impressive, if not human like, set of pectorals outline in red for the world to see. Long black hair trailing down his back as he regarded the two shinigami below him.

"C'mon Kazeshini, you got to get a good look at them, now let's hurry up and get out of here."-a giant figure behind him grumbled. This man was also only a facsimile of human, he looked more akin to an Oni, but even this looked more human than his gangly comrade. A long spear was held casually between massive trunk like brown arms, his wrists seemingly covered in huge tufts of orange hair. Across his completely bare torso, a black tattoo of a dragon stretched straight across his chest. However, the most noticeable aspect had to be the hair, an absolutely huge mane of orange hair stretching down his back almost the whole way to the floor.

"Kehah! Although the one eyed one looks like he would be fun, that thin one looks weak as hell! What's so special about these two then?"-The first being who somehow bore the name of Hisagi's zanpakutou challenged almost in outrage to his temporary comrade. However, the Oni just gave a massive yawn in response, his gravelly voice returning-"Who cares? Like hell if I know, all I know is that we're late, Muramasa told us to all go to the places where we could find the most shinigami, and wait for his signal, now c'mon we need to get our asses moving already."

"Damn it Hozukimaru, they look so weak though, we can just kill em here and that saves us all the bother, right?"-Kazeshini countered back to his comrade, however a meaty hand dropped on his shoulder, Hozukimaru rumbling-"Drop it, you know the orders, if Muramasa didn't summon them, then we leave any Captain class be for him to deal with later."

"Keh, screw those orders!"-Kazeshini replied back, suddenly hefting his massive scythes, his legs tensing, arms already drawn back as he prepared to leap up high and hurl his weapons at the unsuspecting backs of the two Captains below. However, Hozukimaru was having none of it, his grip suddenly intensifying into bone crushing strength, causing Kazeshini to quietly shriek out-"That hurts you bastard! I'll kill you! Lemme go, I'm gonna crush those two weaklings!"

Below, the two Captains started to walk away, their conversation barely audible to their ears as Yoshirou laughed, saying-"Hey, don't go killing them straight away, let me have some fun first!" Kenpachi just grunted in reply, continuing to follow Yoshirou lest he get lost on the way to the foreseeable killing grounds.

Back on the rooftops, Hozukimaru watched their movements, even as Kazeshini continued to try and break free from his grip, he watched as the two Captains vanished, one with a shunpo step, the other with just an explosive dash. Breathing out slowly, he finally relinquished his grip on the other zanpakutou's body, ignoring the stream of curse words and death threats Kazeshini poured out at him. Once again, he hefted his spear, resting it against his shoulder instead as he rumbled-"C'mon, let's get going already."

"You bastard, before this is over I'm gonna kill you as well!"-Kazeshini shouted out, no longer having to lower his voice to avoid attention now the two Captains had departed. Hozukimaru just grunted in reply, before turning away from Kazeshini, saying-"Let's go, or do you want to explain to Muramasa why we were so late for the party?" Kazeshini suddenly stopped his outburst, thoughts of having to explain that he deliberately ignored orders for his own interest to their enigmatic leader even had his bloodthirsty mind worried.

"Keh, all right, but I swear you're gonna pay for stopping me from killing those two!"-Kazeshini said back scathingly, hefting his Kusurigama as the chains jingled with his movements as he turned to follow the other zanpakutou.

Give it to him, he was fast, it only took half a second for the thought to penetrate the Zanpakutou's thoughts. **Jingle?**

Too late, that half a second took too long as Kazeshini was suddenly alerted to a pressure against his neck. His eyes darting down in shock, he could see a katana blade extending past his neck, the blade obviously held level with his throat. Even in the instance of shock, his eyes registered the elaborate Kanji wrote across the beautiful blade's surface.

"The blade…that defends…the cherished…?"-Kazeshini read as his mind finally picked up on the presence behind him. Ahead of him Hozukimaru turned his head in surprise, as he did so saying-"Eh? You say something?" However, his eyes widened greater still as they first saw the insane grin that lit up the face of the man who now stood behind him, an eye patch over one eye and the huge scar across the other only adding to the intimidation of that grin. That and the almost serrated blade that rested lightly on the white Haori the individual wore, marking him out as a Captain.

With an exclamation of surprise, Hozukimaru kicked off against the rooftop, flying further away from the demonic man before him, landing further away across the roof as he saw the full situation before him. The two Captains hadn't been unaware after all, they had simply waited for the best opening, and they had it. Hozukimaru's expression darkened as he saw the blade pressed against Kazeshini's neck, Kazeshini's teeth clenched in anger at how easily he had been caught. Hozukimaru couldn't make any moves, not only was the man before him radiating out bloodlust and killing intent, all promising a quick death, but if he attacked or ran, Kazeshini would be destroyed immediately by the other Captain.

"I don't know why you two were watching us, but you made a fatal mistake in targeting us, it was all too easy to pick up on that killing intent earlier…"-Yoshirou announced darkly from behind Kazeshini's back, his zanpakutou held over Kazeshini's shoulder, edge pointing towards his vulnerable throat. The zanpakutou spirit risked turning his head to get a good look at the Captain behind him as he swore under his breath. Now he got a clear look at the man, Kazeshini realised his mistake, this man was strong, you could tell just from his expression, there was no cocky look of success, no fear of the unknown, just a determined expression.

"If your partner hadn't stopped you from attacking, I would have levelled the entire warehouse with one kido blast before you could have even thrown those weapons at us, it's only because he showed rational thought that we are talking now."-Yoshirou again said darkly. Kazeshini could only grit his teeth in anger, the words that he had overheard the two Captains saying now making sense if he considered that they had detected him before they had spoken.

"_Don't go killing them straight away…"_

"Keh, you cocky bastard…"-Kazeshini growled back, carefully trying to twist the weapons in his hand until the points would be aiming at the Captain, and then impale him. However, that attempt was cut short as Kazeshini'e eyes widened in shock. Without warning, a chain of golden light had suddenly wrapped around his body, emitted from the Captain's free arm, binding his arms in place as Yoshirou intoned-_"Bakudo no. 63, Sajo Sabaku!" _As the chains tightened sharply, Kazeshini lost his grip on the Kusarigama, both of them dropping to the rooftop with a metallic clang. All it took was a small push in the middle of his back, and Kazeshini unwillingly fell to his knees, cursing loudly at the Shinigami.

Lifting his blade away, he now pointed the Zanpakuto at the second foe, the Oni's features tightening as Yoshirou fixed a glare into his eyes as well. Yoshirou simply said one word-"Surrender!" Houzukimaru could only growl in response, however, with the giant man barely a meter away from him, he knew he had two Captains ready and able to destroy him, and he knew he couldn't escape. "Damn, what a disgrace…"-Hozukimaru grumbled as he abruptly sat down on the roof, dropping his spear to the side as he surrendered to the two Captains.

* * *

**Chapter over! Yeah, kinda surprising, I picked two of the four zanpakuto Muramasa sent out to destroy parts of the Seireitei and had them encounter the two Captains. Now, if you haven't guessed, the Hollow summons was meant to distract Kenpachi from joining the battle atop Soukyoku, this might have been what happened in cannon, since when he arrived later on, Kenpachi claimed he had been chasing hollows. However, instead since Yoshirou and Kenpachi were together, I put Kazeshini as unable to hold back his need to kill them, and in doing so messes up Muramasa's plan to keep both Kenpachi and Yoshirou away from Soukyoku, so it should be fun to see what happens next.**

**Oh, and the reason why I have put them as being captured is simply because Yoshirou has no idea who or what they are, he doesn't know they are zanpakutou at all.**

**Anyhow, hope to see you all next time! For those who read the Naruto story (Special thanks to EVA Saiyajin! Always nice to get a certified new reader for that story!), the next chapter is almost complete and should be up within 1-2 days, so cya all next time!**

**P.S Does anybody know a way to do the ? followed by ! in text? Every time I try, the document reader deletes one of the two, so is it possible to get around this? Please help if you know!**


	43. Chapter 36 author Note and start of chap

**Hello to all! I know your not really meant to post notes alone and not new chapters to stories, so in order to get around this, I will post what I currently have written for the next canon chapter. This is not a complete chapter, this is part of it, I will update with the rest of the chapter when I have the time to finish writing it.**

**Okay, first off I am writing the Zanpakutou Tales Arc as a seperate story now, this is to save personal confusion on the storylines, the chapter numbers and so I can create a non canon story. Sorry if this causes any confusion.**

**Secondly, and this is important for the more perverse among you readers XP, as far as I can tell it seem's there has been an update during my hiatus to this site, apparently explicit material has now been banned from being written, it is now against the rules to write lemons. I have no idea if this is permenant, a joke or if they are seriously purging all porno based storyline off the site.**

**If any of you are storywriters yourselves can you please explain this to me, I have yet to write any, but I did have something planned (for both the Bleach and Fate/Stay Night storylines, although highly sceptical about doing the Bleach one) so I want to know is this a serious rule? Is it alright to continue writing a lemon into my storylines or not? It's important I know, as I would hate to have my account removed because I made a mistake.**

**Anyhow, since it's actually against the rules to write author notes alone, I must put something in to balance, so here is the first few paragraphs of Chapter 36 (disincluding the Zanpakutou Tales chapters). Enjoy!**

* * *

With one last shunpo step, Yoshirou finished following the collection of reiatsu he had been following, slightly surprised to see that it ended at the missing persons house itself. **It's hard to mistake, even if I haven't been here** before Yoshirou thought as he walked towards the door. With senses as accurate as his, he could feel the slight hints of spiritual power that were left behind by individuals who hadn't learnt to control their powers fully. It also helped that the plaque for the door number had her name written underneath the number, alongside Matsumoto's and Hitsugaya's names, obviously only recently added. Even as his Gigai's hand reached for the door handle, he could feel the pattern of reiatsu that laid on the metallic surface.

**Too strong…** Yoshirou thought as he turned the handle. **Inoue has been in Soul Society for weeks, she shouldn't have even been here, but I can sense reiatsu from her recently around the building, no wonder they have enough evidence to believe that she has betrayed us.** Walking inside, he heard a slightly surprised noise, turning to it, he saw Ichigo standing nearby in his shinigami form, his head turned to him with a perplexed expression on his face. Just past him, he could see the other reiatsu sources he had been sensing, the entire assembled relief force. Hitsugaya was also among them, turning to look at him, his eyes with their usual icy look as he said-"Good that you managed to join us, Kenshin-Taichou." Ignoring the cold reception from the Captain, Yoshirou glanced around the room at the others. He was acutely aware that he was the only among them in Gigai and as such stood out rather poignantly. Everyone's expressions were alert, Rukia glancing at Ichigo with a slightly concerned expression.

"Yoshirou, what's going on here?"-Ichigo asked, turning fully towards him as Hitsugaya turned his attention back to his Vice Captain, quietly talking with her. Yoshirou kept all emotion from showing on his face as he looked to Ichigo, answering-"I was just summoned for the emergency meeting, same as you probably." Ichigo luckily seemed to accept the answer, frowning to himself as he turned to look at the other conversation between Matsumoto and Hitsugaya. However, Rukia' glance revealed that Ichigo was perhaps the only person in the room who didn't understand the full importance that the lack of Inoue's presence in her own home meant. However, before either Ichigo or Rukia could say anything, a loud crackling noise came from across the room. All heads turned towards the noise, Yoshirou's included, and as such he saw what was emitting the noise.

**A cross dimensional communications array?** Yoshirou wondered as he looked at the slightly grotesque border about the large screen before them, which now showed static to accompany the crackling he had heard. Quickly the static stopped, to reveal an image of a man standing in the viewscreen. However, it was the last person Yoshirou expected to see, and the same for the second Captain in the room as Hitsugaya exclaimed slightly in surprise. "Ukitake? Where's the Sou Taichou?"-Hitsugaya asked the screen. Ukitake's expression was far more serious than usual, his normal calm look missing in the face of the subject at hand, replying quietly-"I have asked to take his place." Yoshirou saw out of the side of his eye Hitsugaya's expression tightening in response as he asked-"For what reason?"

Yoshirou was half surprised to see Ukitake's expression cast downwards, almost as if he had felt guilty for something he had done, unable to bear watching the response to his next words.

"Because I was the last person to see Inoue Orihime before she went through the Senkai Gate."

There was a collective gasp for breath as the news sunk in entirely among those who heard his words, even Yoshirou who had known the situation couldn't help but grimace slightly as he heard the Captain's words. Ukitake paused for a second, watching their reactions through the array, before continuing-"Judging from your reactions, it's safe to say she never made it there." Ichigo suddenly stepped forward, his face showing his disbelief as he exclaimed-"What do you mean, Ukitake-san? Where did Inoue go? You know something, right?" Ukitake could only pause once again, unable to watch the concerned expression on the substitute shinigami's face. A moment passed while he gathered his thoughts, the atmosphere growing very tense in the room, before Ukitake once again raised his head to his audience.

"I'll give you my opinion…"-Ukitake started quietly. Ichigo remained silent as he awaited his words, but Yoshirou could see the tensed muscles along his neck showing his impatience. Ukitake continued none the less-"The two guards I sent with her through the Senkai gate came back alive. According to the two of them, Inoue Orihime was either kidnapped…or murdered by an Arrancar." Ichigo didn't move, or say a word, only staring wide eyed, without blinking as his mind tried to make sense of the words the Shinigami had uttered. Rukia suddenly blurted out almost angrily-"Ukitake-Taichou, even if this is just a hypothesis, saying something like that-!"

"I know…I don't like saying this either…"-Ukitake interrupted painfully, as if the words themselves caused him physical discomfort. That was enough to cause Rukia to stop, even if Ichigo still only stared with the same expression, his mouth open slightly as if he was struggling to say something. "I am only listing the worst possibilities here! From the information we have, she was attacked by a lone Arrancar, then disappeared along with him."-Ukitake continued to explain, but suddenly Ichigo couldn't restrain himself further, angrily ripping his arm through the air as he shouted-"Don't screw around! Your saying she's dead without any real proof just because she vanished? Don't give me that shit!"

Suddenly, he lifted his arm before him, almost brandishing it angrily at the screen, as he shouted-"Take a look at this, my hand was seriously injured in the fighting yesterday, it was something that nobody here could have healed!" Yoshirou didn't bother to interrupt him despite knowing that he probably could have healed any such injury easily, as he realised just what Ichigo must have meant. **Does he mean-?** Yoshirou thought as Ichigo opened up his hand, palm facing towards the screen to emphasize his point as he continued-"But when I woke up this morning, there wasn't even a scar! And, I can still feel Inoue's reiatsu from it!"

Ichigo failed to see it, since he was still vehemently showing his anger to the screen, but Yoshirou, and probably everybody else saw Ukitake's eye's widen with surprise at this news. Yoshirou realised he probably should be more surprised than he was, but since he already knew that Inoue indeed was alive, he didn't feel like acting surprised.

"…I see"

Yoshirou instantly snapped to attention upon hearing the gruff tones, even Ichigo halted mid rant in surprise at the authority ringing in the voice coming from the monitor. Sure enough, even the cane tapping on the floor distinctive and familiar to the ears of every shinigami present, the figure of the Sou Taichou.

* * *

**Well, that was the start of it, i'll probably complete the chapter within the week. I'm going to try and work on as many of my stories as I can simultaneusly, but I have hit a mental block on the Naruto and F/SN ones, so it will be Bleach for now, don't forget to subsribe to the new story for the Zanpakutou Tales Arc if you want to recieve the updates on it, as I will be removing the relevant chapters from Part 2 soon.**

**As always, reviews are loved and welcomed, although at the moment not 100% needed as this is an incomplete chapter, cya all soon!**


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